


Lupus and Rufus

by admiralandrea



Series: Across Border Operations [3]
Category: NCIS: Los Angeles
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Hurt/Comfort, Kidnapping, Knotting, M/M, Male Lactation, Mpreg, Spanking, Tattoos
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-04
Updated: 2019-08-04
Packaged: 2020-07-31 03:04:34
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 23,250
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20108137
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/admiralandrea/pseuds/admiralandrea
Summary: Even when he's pregnant, Callen is going undercover and helping catch bad guys.





	Lupus and Rufus

**Author's Note:**

> This follows on from The Cry of the Lonely Wolf in my Across Border Operations series. I've warned for dub con but this is implied/suggested. Also, the Sam/Michelle is prior to this fic, but still a part of the story. Written for the "pain" square of my Kink Bingo card and also fits the "kid fic" square of my Trope Bingo card.

The small group moved through the crowded room, keeping close together. Sam was behind Hetty and Kensi, constantly growling as his nostrils flared at the combined scents of Alpha arousal and Omega distress. That one of the Omegas was his own Mate meant that he didn’t just want to take these people down, he wanted to kill, to rip them limb from limb and tear their throats out for what they had done. Deeks was beside him, closer to Kensi and clearly distressed as well, even though his Beta senses weren’t affected the same way the three Alphas were by what they were seeing.

There were several cages at the front of the room, each containing an Omega who was restrained in some way, even though they were all also obviously drugged. Callen was in the middle, head lolling on his chest, each limb chained to the side in a spread-eagled position, heavily pregnant belly pressed up against the too-small metal of the cage. He was wearing a collar as well, which added to Sam’s anger. Collars were illegal because they were designed to keep pressure on the Bonding gland, which ensured the Omega wearing it would be submissive at all times.

Sam could also see chains running from the nipple rings his Mate wore, going down to where his cock was restrained in a metal cage, as well as connecting to each other. His vision was going red now and he didn’t think he could stay in control for much longer.

“Hetty,” he muttered, biting hard on his lip as he struggled with his emotions.

“Not much longer Sam,” she murmured back to him, as her gaze swept the room. 

Kensi was a tightly coiled figure beside their diminutive boss, her nostrils flaring as well as she reacted to the scents of distressed Omegas. Sam had no doubt she’d be right beside him, ripping apart the Alphas as soon as Hetty gave the word.

Deeks shifted beside him, gaze bleak as he took in the milling crowd. He might be Beta, but he cared just as fiercely as the rest of them for the safety of Omegas, even more so when he’d learned the truth about their team leader, once he’d gotten over his anger at Callen’s secret keeping.

Hetty touched her brooch, which contained their micro camera and transmitter, slowly turning around as she surveyed the whole room. She ended up facing Sam and Deeks, Kensi keeping her eyes forward as they waited for the signal.

They all heard the QRF team leader in the earwigs they wore. “We’re all set to go,” his voice said. “On your mark Alpha Lang.”

Hetty breathed deeply once, then cast her gaze over the team, knowing what was to come. She would be fighting right alongside them, angry at what had been done to the Omega she considered her son.

“Execute, execute, execute,” she said, the command voiced quietly but authoritatively as she nodded at the team.

They all pulled on gas masks, in anticipation of the flash bangs the QRF were about to let loose, then surged forward, towards the stage that held the Omegas. Their singular task was to rescue their team leader and get him out of the building. The QRF would deal with the Alphas in the room and the other Omegas.

Sam lunged forward, going for the Alpha who was guarding his Mate’s cage. With a growl, he was on the man, breaking his arm as he grabbed him. Seconds later, he was dead on the floor, neck broken as well. Each of them had cutters in a pocket and it took moments to cut the chains holding Callen in place. Sam moved to the back of the cage, where the lock was, snipping it off and pulling the metal free.

Around them, everything was chaos, shouting and yelling coming from all corners as the teams of agents flooded the room. They had called in help from the FBI, LAPD SWAT and ATF to ensure they had enough firepower to overwhelm everyone they would be faced with in the raid. Sam ignored it all though, concentrating only on Callen. He gently extricated him from the cage, using brute force on the metal when it didn’t yield to his satisfaction.

Deeks was there with a blanket and Sam quickly wrapped it around the naked body of his Mate, before lifting him into his arms. Deeks helped Hetty clear their path out, while Kensi brought up the rear. In less than five minutes, they were out of the room and down a corridor at the back of the building.

They had all memorized the route out of the office space the traffickers had been using, and for once luck was on their side; this part of the building wasn’t even guarded. Another few minutes of twists and turns and they were at the exit. This they knew was guarded outside, even though the door was locked and alarmed.

Deeks hung back to watch their six, while Sam gently lowered Callen to the floor. Hetty would watch over him while Sam and Kensi secured their exit, taking care of the two guards outside. It was short, fast and brutal, both men down and out within twenty seconds of the doors slamming open, alarm blaring as Sam forced his way through.

Hetty had already called for an ambulance as she waited with Deeks and by the time they cleared the end of the alley they were in, it was waiting, pulled up to the curb, engine running and gurney on the ground.

Sam lowered his Mate down, then climbed into the ambulance to help lift the gurney into place, accompanied by a paramedic. The driver had remained at the wheel, so as soon as Kensi slammed the doors, they were on their way, siren blaring.

The rest of the team stayed behind to help with the clean up, but there was no question of Sam being anywhere other than with Callen from now on until they were safely back home again.

*

As the ambulance raced down the road, Sam reached out to remove the collar Callen wore. It was padlocked, but Sam still had his cutters, meaning it only took a minute to snip off the lock, before unbuckling the collar and casting it aside. He put it in an evidence bag, despite his desire to throw it away. They needed to make sure they catalogued everything for the authorities, even though he doubted there would be many traffickers left alive to go to trial.

Collar dealt with, Sam moved on to the chains, adding them to another evidence bag. The paramedic worked around him, taking vitals, then attaching a pulse-ox clip to one finger and a blood pressure cuff to an arm.

“Any idea what he was given?” the medic questioned Sam, as he looked into Callen’s pupils.

Sam shook his head. “I’ll call back to my team, see if they’ve found any evidence,” he offered.

“It would help if you could, then we know how best to treat him, especially with the pup.”

Sam touched his earwig. “Hetty,” he said. “Any news on what drugs they used?”

Hetty’s voice came back tinnily in his ear. “Not yet Mr Hanna,” she said. “I have Ms Blye and Mr Deeks searching the offices now, as first priority. We haven’t identified anyone who is a qualified physician yet either.”

Sam was disappointed, but not surprised. “Alright, let me know please, as soon as they find something.”

“Of course Mr Hanna,” she agreed. “How is Mr Callen?”

Sam wasn’t surprised by the question, even though they weren’t even at the hospital yet. “Nothing to report so far,” he told her. “But knowing what drugs he might have been given will help them know how to treat him. They don’t want to do anything that might hurt the pup.”

“I will send extra agents to assist in the search and ensure they call you directly they find something,” Hetty said, then the line went dead.

Sam was somewhat reassured by that, but just hoped they got answers soon. He didn’t like knowing his Mate was unconscious from unknown substances.

The medic looked to Sam. “No news?” he asked.

Sam shook his head. “They’re still looking.”

“I’ll just have to monitor him for now,” the medic said. “Once we get to the hospital, they’ll be able to do a blood draw for a tox screen, if necessary.”

“How long till we get there?” Sam asked.

“Carla?” the medic called through to the driver. “What’s our ETA?”

“Five minutes,” she called back. “I’ve called it in, so they have specialists on standby.”

The medic looked to Sam, who nodded approval and agreement. He gripped Callen’s hand tightly, wishing his Mate would wake up and be alright. He’d been against this mission from the start, but Callen hadn’t felt able to turn down a direct request from the Secretary of the Navy. 

*

The call had come from Vance, via Hetty, who had asked Sam to hear the Director out before outright refusing any chance of Callen helping out on a dangerous undercover mission. Sam hadn’t been happy, but had agreed, knowing they were in a precarious position, should Callen wish to return to the field at a later date. Building some good will now would hopefully hold them in good stead in the future.

Vance had explained that SecNav had brought the problem to his attention; it seemed that a relative of his was an Omega who had gone missing. The man had been happily Mated, so there was no suggestion of him having disappeared voluntarily. The FBI had quickly become involved, but the cousin had turned to Secretary Jarvis, trusting that his high profile relative would have the pull to do more.

Jarvis had turned to Vance and because there was believed to be a west coast connection, Vance had immediately gone to Hetty for help. Vance had said that Jarvis wanted to speak to them personally, which had surprised Sam, but he knew he couldn’t refuse the visit. Two days later, the Director had arrived with Jarvis at their new house.

Sam had played the perfect host, welcoming them in and providing the good coffee, as they got settled in the lounge. Callen had greeted them warily, not sure of the reaction he was going to get. His ankle had finally healed and he had been given a clean bill of health. His pregnancy was progressing normally as well and his latest check ups had all been routine. He was now showing obviously and Sam had a hard time keeping his hands off his Mate.

“Agent Callen, it’s good to see you looking well,” Director Vance said, not offering a hand to shake, which eased Callen’s nerves.

“Thank you Sir,” he said with a nod. 

Secretary Jarvis also held back, but gave Callen a thorough visual appraisal, before nodding. “Agent Callen, I have heard good things about you from many people, including Miss Lang. Thank you for agreeing to consider this matter.”

“Uh, thank you Sir,” Callen said, a little taken aback by the declaration. He wasn’t aware that the Secretary even knew he existed.

“Let’s sit down and discuss matters,” Vance suggested and Callen settled back into the couch again, with Sam close beside him, offering a mug of his favorite tea.

Vance took on the job of explaining what had been found so far; Secretary Jarvis’s cousin was the fifth Omega to have disappeared in the last month and the FBI had quickly discovered that all of them were Mated and pregnant. From there, the suggestion was that traffickers were involved, perhaps because they had clients who wanted Omegas who had proven their fertility. 

“So how do you think they’re identifying their victims?” Callen asked. “This sounds too organized to be just picking up random pregnant Omegas they see on the street.”

Vance agreed. “The FBI believes it’s through the Omega health clinics they’re using,” he explained. “All of the victims have been patients at centers which are part of the same umbrella corporation.”

“Straight up data theft?” Sam asked.

“That seems the most likely explanation,” Vance said. “It’s likely they have someone in the company headquarters who is accessing patient information, data mining through records to identify suitable targets.”

Callen nodded thoughtfully. “So you would want my character to become a patient at one of these clinics in L.A?” he asked. “How would I explain why I’m attending so late in my pregnancy?”

“We would give you a private physician who has either died suddenly or moved away because of a family emergency, whatever you and your team think is most suitable. We’re happy to trust your judgement on that.”

Callen turned to his Mate. “What do you think Sam?” he asked, knowing it wasn’t just his decision.

“What sort of cover are you looking at for the two of us?” Sam asked Vance.

They could both see that Vance didn’t like that question. “Vance?” Sam’s tone turned menacing, despite the fact this was their boss.

“There is one other aspect of the case,” Jarvis interjected, drawing Sam’s attention from the NCIS Director.

Sam raised an eyebrow, waiting for the bombshell they both knew was coming, but didn’t say anything.

“Yes, well, all of the Omegas who have disappeared have female Alphas,” Jarvis explained.

Callen sat back stunned at that piece of information, brain processing the implications.

“They pick an Omega who is pregnant with a female Alpha because it doesn’t just demonstrate their fertility, it demonstrates they have capacity to be successfully impregnated,” he said. “Because whoever wants these Omegas, they don’t just want anyone who can get pregnant, for some reason they have to be capable of handling artificial insemination.”

“That’s right,” Vance took up the conversation again, while Sam continued to stare daggers at him.

Callen poked his Mate in the side. “So Kensi or Nell?” he asked.

“Not Nell,” Sam said immediately. “She’s not experienced enough to carry this off and no one would buy the two of you as a couple.”

Callen turned to look at Sam at that. “Why not?” he asked. He could guess Sam’s reasoning, but wanted to hear him say it out loud.

“It’s not because of her size G,” Sam said in exasperation. “It’s because she can’t convey a strong enough personality as an Alpha, not yet.”

“Who says she would need to?” Callen countered. “You don’t even know what sort of personality my cover would have.”

Vance coughed, interrupting them. “While this is all very fascinating gentlemen, I believe it is something best worked out with the rest of your team, assuming you are accepting the assignment of course, Agent Callen?”

Callen looked at his Mate. “We need a few minutes,” he said. “We’ll just be in the kitchen.” He held out a hand to Sam, who helped him to his feet, then held on while they headed across the lounge.

“You want to do this don’t you G?” Sam asked, as soon as there was a closed door between them and their guests.

“Of course I do Sam, but it’s not just that,” Callen told him. Off of Sam’s questioning look he added, “It’s more a case of I’m pretty much literally the only person who can do this. I’m an actual pregnant Omega, who is also an expert in undercover work and probably the only person in the country with those credentials.”

Sam sighed and settled at the kitchen table. “I know G, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it. You might have Kensi as back up for the initial part of the op, while you’re making yourself known at the clinic, but if they do take the bait and kidnap you, you’ll be on your own.”

“Well then, this will be the perfect opportunity to test out those new subcutaneous trackers you told me Nell was raving about the other day,” Callen told him. 

Sam rubbed his face. “I’m not going to win this am I?” he asked, raising a hand before Callen could reply. “That was a rhetorical question. Let’s go give Vance and Jarvis the news.”

Callen waited until his Mate had approached him, before leaning in to hold him as much as he could with his huge belly. “I promise to be really, really careful Sam,” he said earnestly. “I will do nothing to provoke any bad guys, whatever happens and I will keep myself together and as healthy as possible until you can swoop in and take them all down.”

Sam put his arms around him and pressed a soft kiss to his mouth. “Thank you,” he said sincerely. “I guess the only good thing is that they’re not likely to want to hurt their merchandise and risk damaging the pup or not being able to satisfy their clients if the Omega is injured in some way.”

“Exactly,” Callen agreed and he turned towards the lounge door. “I’m sure it’ll be fine.”

Sam snorted. “And now you’ve just jinxed it,” he said, following his Mate back to their guests.

Callen shook his head, but didn’t reply, just announced to Vance and Jarvis, “I’ll do it.”

They both looked pleased and Callen could see that Jarvis was relieved as well. “Thank you,” he told them, getting to his feet and holding out his hand. “This won’t be forgotten, however it turns out. If you decide you wish to return to work after your son is born, Agent Callen, I won’t stand in your way or let anyone else stop you either.”

Callen was surprised at that. “Thank you Sir,” he said, briefly taking the other man’s hand.

Vance shook hands with both of them as well. “I’ll let Hetty know the two of you will be in the office tomorrow morning for a planning meeting,” he said. “The rest of your team can start work on the preliminaries today.”

After that, they quickly showed their guests out and Sam locked the door behind them with a sigh. Callen sat down on the couch, tired after the emotionally charged meeting and knowing he needed to rest. Sam quickly came to join him and Callen settled against his Mate, happy to lean on Sam’s strength for a while.

*

The next day, they headed into the office to have a planning session with the rest of the team. As soon as they got inside, Kensi and Deeks were waiting with Nell at the entrance to the bullpen. Sam hung back, letting Callen go first and get mobbed by the rest of the team, who hadn’t seen him for a few weeks. Callen turned his head to glare at his partner and got a smirk in return.

Deeks was first to greet him, grabbing his shoulder with one hand and holding out the other for a handshake. Callen accepted it with a smile. Things were still a little bit strained with the Beta, although most people wouldn’t notice it. Michelle had told him that she and Deeks had had a few conversations, which had helped both of them.

Once Deeks moved away, Nell came at him, grabbing him in an awkward hug, thanks to his bulk and her size. Callen laughed a little, but hugged back, finding it easier to give and accept affection since he’d Mated with Sam.

“Good to see you,” Nell said when she released him. 

He smiled down at her. “You too Nell Bell,” he told her and bent to give her a quick kiss to the cheek.

Kensi stepped forward next, hugging him slightly more sedately than Nell had, but initiating the kiss to the cheek. Callen patted her back and released her. 

“Looking forward to this?” she asked him.

He smirked. “Of course,” he said. “But be prepared for Captain Anxiety over there to give you a hard time.”

“That’s Chief Anxiety to you,” Sam snarked.

Callen outright laughed at that, just as Hetty appeared. “Ladies and gentlemen, the briefing will not deliver itself,” she announced.

Nell ran up the steps to Ops, with Kensi and Deeks following behind at a normal pace. 

“Good to see you too Hetty,” Callen said, smiling at their diminutive boss.

“Mr Callen, while it is indeed good to have you back within our environs, time is of the essence here.”

Sam’s hand landed on his back. “Come on G,” he said. “You can catch up with your fan club later.”

Callen frowned at his partner’s smirk, but then saw where he nodded to a group of support staff to one side of the room, next to wardrobe. His eyes widened in shock at the frankly greedy looks he was garnering and he shivered.

“Let’s go do some planning,” he said, without looking at his partner again, knowing the expression he’d see.

“A good idea,” Hetty agreed with a nod, leading the way up the stairs.

Once inside the Ops centre, he saw the rest of the team grouped around the desks at the far side of the room. Kensi stepped aside at that moment, allowing him to see who was seated at one of the computers.

“Eric!” he said in surprise. “I thought you were still on parental leave.”

“Callen,” his fellow Omega smiled at him, pushing to his feet to come and give Callen the inevitable hug of welcome. “When Nell told me about this op, I had to come in, make sure you had the best support available.”

Callen pulled back from the hug. “What about the twins?” he asked.

“Saskia and Lewis are down in the creche,” Nell interjected. “We can go and see them any time we need to.”

Callen nodded, it made sense. “Okay, why don’t you show me what you’ve got so far?”

The team assumed their usual positions around the Ops centre, facing the large screen at the front.

“You sure you don’t need to sit G?” Sam asked as Callen leaned back on the table.

Callen gave him a sideways look. “I’m fine for now Big Guy,” he said.

Sam looked back for a minute, then nodded in acceptance. Hetty cleared her throat and Eric started to speak, outlining the facts of the case for Deeks and Kensi, expanding on what they’d learned from Vance and Jarvis the day before. 

After a half hour or so, Callen moved to sit in Nell’s chair, sinking down with a grateful sigh. His back was aching from the extra weight he was carrying. He was glad when no one commented, although Sam gave him a look. Callen just rolled his eyes at his Mate, then turned back to look at the records that Eric was putting on the screen, while Nell explained them.

*

Once they had a satisfactory plan outlined, Hetty intervened. “Mr Callen, Mr Hanna, Mr Beale, you are required in the boat shed, Ms Blye, I need you in wardrobe, Ms Jones,”

“I’m needed in the creche,” Nell announced before Hetty could give her an assignment. 

Hetty nodded. “Of course, my dear,” she agreed. “Once you’re done, I would like you to continue your work analyzing the clinic staff.”

Nell nodded back before rushing from the room. 

“Mr Deeks,” Hetty turned to the final member of the team.

“I thought I’d go get lunch for everyone,” Deeks said, lifting his watch to indicate the time.

“An excellent suggestion,” Hetty agreed. 

They all filed out of the room, with Eric following Callen and Sam down the tunnel. “Do you need any gear?” Callen asked Eric.

Eric shook his head. “I have this,” he held up his tablet. “The Navy have already uploaded the tracking program to our system, it’s just a question of making sure it’s calibrated to your tracker once it’s in place.”

“Tell me how it works,” Sam ordered as they got into the car. Thanks to Callen’s advanced state of pregnancy, they’d had to leave the Challenger at home, in favor of Callen’s Mercedes. Sam was still driving, though.

*

They were met at the boat shed by two Naval officers, both Betas – a Lieutenant who Eric sat down with to go over the tracking program and a Captain who was the guy with the tracking device to implant in Callen.

“Captain Williams,” he said, not offering Callen a hand, but exchanging a handshake with Sam. 

“Agent Hanna,” he said, then gestured to his partner. “Agent Callen is the one getting the tracking device.”

Williams looked at Callen, who had settled onto the couch with a grunt. “You’re the one going undercover?” he asked, looking confused. “No one told me it was a pregnant Omega.”

“Is there a problem Captain?” Sam’s voice was frosty as he stared at Williams.

The Captain shook his head. “Just not what I was expecting. I’ve never met an Omega who was a Federal agent before.”

“That’s irrelevant,” Callen told him. “Can you implant this thing or not?”

Williams reached for a small black case that was on the table. “It’s straightforward enough,” he said. “Just a small incision in the skin and it slides right in. We just use a local anesthetic to numb the area so there’s no risk. There will be a scar though.”

Sam sat down next to his partner. “Where do you insert it?” he asked.

“Normally we place them in the upper thigh,” he said. “There’s less likelihood of them being detected there in the usual circumstances where we’re giving someone these trackers.”

Callen shook his head. “Too risky in this case,” he said. “We can’t go into specifics as the mission is classified but somewhere else will have to do.”

“Have you considered using Overwatch spray?” Williams asked, looking at Sam.

“Again for reasons that are classified, it wouldn’t work in this instance,” he said.

Williams opened his case on the small stool in front of where Callen was sitting. “I would suggest the upper arm,” he said. “It’s where Omegas commonly have birth control implants inserted, so it would explain why you have a mark there, but it will be a fresh wound considering how far advanced your pregnancy is. I don’t know if that’s an issue for you.”

“You let us worry about that Captain,” Callen told him. “The upper arm is fine.” He started to work on rolling up his left sleeve completely.

“Actually,” Williams said hesitantly, looking between the two of them. 

“What is it?” Sam asked impatiently.

Williams looked embarrassed. “It would be easier if you removed your shirt from that arm,” he said. “I need to place the tracker in the deltoid muscle.”

Callen sighed, but unbuttoned his shirt and shrugged it off one shoulder. Williams’s eyes widened when he saw the bullet scars on his chest, but he didn’t comment. Instead, he ducked his head and concentrated on taking equipment out of his case.

“I’ll inject a local anesthetic first,” he explained. “Then, once that’s had a few minutes to take effect, I’ll make a small incision in the top layers of skin and insert the device using a pair of forceps. You’ll need a couple of stitches to close the incision, but I’ll use dissolvable sutures which should be gone in a week to ten days.”

Callen’s face was screwed up at the Captain’s explanation and Sam moved closer to him. He knew that Callen’s needle phobia was genuine and he’d almost rather have the tracker implanted without the skin being numbed first.

“I’m right here G,” Sam told him.

Williams looked up. “Is there a problem?”

Callen grimaced again. “No,” he denied, as Sam said “Yes.”

Williams looked between them wide-eyed. “I hate needles,” Callen admitted with a sigh.

“Oh!” Williams clearly hadn’t been expecting that. “Are you sure you want me to continue?”

Callen shrugged irritably. “I guess,” he agreed.

“Come on G, look at me,” Sam told him, guiding his partner’s face towards him. He took Callen’s free hand in his own, feeling his Mate immediately tighten his grip.

“Just get on with it,” Callen told Williams, before burying his face in Sam’s chest, appearances be damned.

Williams didn’t say anything else, but did as he was told, quickly inserting the needle and injecting the contents. “That just needs a few minutes to take effect,” he said as he discarded the needle and pulled on gloves.

Callen kept his face in Sam’s chest, while Sam rubbed his back soothingly. After a few minutes, Williams poked at the area where he’d injected the anesthetic.

“Can you feel that?” he asked.

Callen turned his head enough to be heard. “No, it’s fine,” he said.

“Alright, I’m going to make the incision now and then insert the tracker,” Williams told him.

Callen’s face went back into Sam’s chest and Sam looked down, not wanting to see either. They waited in tense silence, while Williams worked, but he was quick and efficient and within a couple of minutes he announced that he was done.

Callen still held on to Sam while a dressing was taped over the small wound. “If you feel any pain or discomfort, you can take Tylenol,” Williams said as he stripped off his gloves. “But if there’s any swelling, redness or other signs of infection, please make contact immediately.”

“Is that likely to happen?” Sam asked, as Callen sat up again.

“We’ve never had any problems to date,” Williams told him. “The tracker is made of synthetic material, so it shouldn’t cause any irritation and there’s no reason why the site should become infected, but we have to give you the warnings anyway.”

Callen had pulled his shirt back into place and was buttoning it up. “What about keeping it clean and dry?” he asked.

“Good question,” Williams nodded. “I would recommend keeping it covered for two days, particularly when bathing, but after that it should be fine to leave it open to the air and gentle cleansing with soap and water shouldn’t be a problem.”

“Thank you Captain,” Sam stood to shake hands with Williams again.

“Of course gentlemen, any problems please let me know.” Williams looked round to the Lieutenant, who was still sitting at the table with Eric.

“I’m nearly done here Sir,” the younger man said. “We just need to activate the tracker and make sure it’s functioning and then we’re good to go.”

Eric came over to the couch, tablet in hand. “May I?” he asked, indicating Callen’s arm.

Callen held it out obediently and Eric held the tablet close to the insertion site. After a minute, his tablet beeped and he pulled it back again, tapping at the screen.

“That all looks good,” he told them, glancing from Callen to Sam. He turned the device so they could see the signal flashing away on a map of Los Angeles.

“You have all the information you need Eric?” Callen asked.

Eric nodded agreement. “Alright, I’ll see you out,” Sam said, standing up and reaching out to shake hands with the Captain and Lieutenant again.

Callen stayed put and Eric sat down in the armchair next to him, tapping away at his tablet once more. Sam came back a few moments later.

“Eric, why don’t you go wait in the car, we’ll be right there,” Sam told him, holding out the car keys.

He looked up startled. “Uh sure, okay,” he agreed, accepting the keys from Sam, before heading out to the parking lot.

“You okay Sam?” Callen asked, as he slowly levered himself to his feet.

“I was going to ask you the same thing,” Sam told him, as he moved to stand in front of his Mate.

Callen pulled a face. “I guess,” he said. He held up his arm. “Not sure I like this though.”

“Well, hopefully it won’t be for too long,” Sam told him, then pulled Callen into his arms and kissed him slowly.

When he pulled back, Callen blinked at him and sighed. “I know,” he said, answering the look on Sam’s face, knowing what his partner was thinking without words.

“Yeah,” Sam agreed. “We should head back to Ops, Deeks should be back with lunch by now.”

As if on cue, Callen’s stomach rumbled, followed by Sam’s and they both laughed. “Lunch sounds good,” Callen agreed and allowed his Mate to take his hand and lead him out to the car.

*

Within a couple of days, Kensi and Callen had moved into the house that had been rented for their aliases, Terese and Kevin Andrews. Nell had arranged an appointment at the Omega health clinic for the day after, so when they went to bed that night, Callen asked Kensi to come into his room.

“You need to be comfortable touching me,” he told her. 

Kensi pulled a face at that remark. “I am,’ she protested. “It’s not like we haven’t played a couple before.”

Callen agreed. “This is more than that, though,” he said. “A kiss is easily faked, but when we go for this appointment, they’re going to want to me to have a full medical exam.”

“I don’t see what you’re getting at,” Kensi said in frustration.

Callen pointed to his feet and the casual shoes he wore. “I can barely see my feet,” he said. “Let alone take my shoes off for myself. Sam has been helping me for weeks. Plus you must have noticed that he can’t keep his hands to himself lately.”

Kensi wrinkled her nose again and sighed. “Right,” she agreed.

“So we can start with you helping me undress,” Callen told her.

Kensi came closer and after a moment’s hesitation, she helped Callen out of his T-shirt, then knelt down to remove his shoes and socks. Callen put his hands in the waistband of his sweatpants and Kensi hastily got to her feet again and backed away.

“I think you’ve got the rest of this covered,” she said.

Callen smirked at her blush. “That’s not going to cut it tomorrow,” he said.

Kensi made a frustrated sound. “Tomorrow I’ll be Terese,” she told him. 

“You know better than that Kens,” Callen told her. “What’s really going on?”

She sat on the bed next to him. “I guess I’m having trouble adjusting to this,” she said with a gesture to him.

“To what?” Callen frowned. “I thought you understood why I kept my Omega status hidden.”

“I do,” Kensi agreed. “But I’m not used to being so close to you when you’re giving off Omega pheromones and pregnant and everything.”

Callen turned to look at her. “Didn’t Hetty give you Alpha suppressants?” He was fairly sure that Hetty would have had that covered.

“Yeah, as soon as she told me about the assignment,” Kensi said. “I started taking them straight away and I understood why. We can’t risk you somehow triggering a Rut in me in the middle of the mission. But even so, seeing you like this triggers my Alpha instincts.”

Callen winced. He supposed he shouldn’t be surprised by that. It was well known that female Alphas went into protective overdrive around pregnant Omegas, whether it was their own Mate or not.

“Is this going to be a problem?” Callen asked. “Do we need to contact Hetty and change things up?”

Kensi shook her head. “It’s too late for that, surely?” she argued. “We know that these people are overdue for another kidnap, based on their pattern so far. I can suck it up and deal for a few days.”

Callen took a breath. “If you’re sure?” he asked, reluctantly, but knowing Kensi was right.

“I’m sure Callen,” she told him.

“Alright then,” he said. “But I think we need to start living our aliases now, not wait till the appointment tomorrow. That should make it easier for both of us.”

Kensi thought about that briefly, before conceding. “Fair enough, but I’m not sleeping in here, I know you only nap if Sam isn’t around and I need to rest to make sure I’m on my game for tomorrow.”

Callen laughed. “Not asking you to,” he said. He was going to call his Mate and hope that talking to him on the phone was enough to get him to relax so he could sleep for a little while at least.

“You good now then?” Kensi asked, standing up.

Callen nodded. “I’m good Kens,” he said. “Go get some sleep.”

She nodded and said goodnight, before heading off to her bedroom. Once she was gone, Callen got as comfortable as possible on the bed before picking up his cell to call Sam.

*

The next day, Kensi drove them to the appointment in Terese’s BMW. Her cover was a cosmetic surgeon whose best friend had been “Kevin’s” OBGYN until her mother had died, necessitating her return to Virginia. Nell and Eric had done their usual impeccable work on the cover stories, including a small news story in the local media about the fictional doctor and her mother.

The receptionist at the Omega health centre was a perky blond Omega, who simpered at Callen as she handed over paperwork for them to complete before the appointment.

“Wow!” Kensi whispered as they chose seats as far away from the reception desk as possible.

Callen pulled a face where the receptionist couldn’t see. “Yeah,” he agreed. Unfortunately it wasn’t the first time he’d gotten that sort of reaction from other Omegas, although he didn’t understand why.

“It’s because you don’t look like a typical Omega,” Kensi murmured as she filled out the form about her medical history.

Callen raised his eyebrows at her. “Really?” he asked dryly.

She looked up and smirked. “It’s true,” she insisted. “Even now, playing this role and looking like you should be all sweet vulnerable Omega, there’s something about you.”

Callen just stared and she blushed and coughed, ducking her head. He darted a quick look around the room but there was no one close enough to hear them and the receptionist had disappeared from view.

“Kens?” he whispered fiercely. “What the hell?”

She looked up again, blush still evident, but just shrugged. “It’s true,” she insisted.

Callen just shook his head, bemused and went back to finishing the form on his medical history. They’d had to fake a lot of it and he’d taken time that morning to cover up most of his scars with make up. What they couldn’t risk trying to cover up were the scars from the drive by, so Nell had helped him concoct a story to explain them away, should anyone ask. 

He’d also used make up carefully on his face to reduce some of the signs of his true age. He knew that he was in relatively good physical shape, broken ankle and pregnancy aside, but the life he’d lived had still left it’s mark on him. They needed him to look younger than he was, in order to ensure he appealed to the traffickers they assumed this case was about, so he’d used concealer to hide his lines and hoped it would be good enough to have him taken as bait.

“Mr and Mrs Andrews?” The syrupy voice of the receptionist broke into Callen’s thoughts and he looked up.

“Dr Parnell is waiting for you in Room 12,” she told them.

“Thank you,” Kensi said, standing and taking Callen’s hand, helping him to his feet. 

The receptionist smiled at them. “You can bring your forms through to the doctor,” she said.

“Of course,” Kensi agreed and they went in the direction she’d indicated.

The doctor’s room was a standard one, with examination bed and chairs next to a desk. Dr Parnell was a Beta and she was waiting to greet them at the door, shaking hands with Kensi, but just nodding at Callen, who nodded and smiled back. 

“Please take a seat,” she told them, indicating the visitor chairs. 

They were comfortable, unlike the sort of thing Callen was used to seeing in a doctor’s office and his initial estimation of the clinic went up. It was a small thing, but significant for someone who mostly dealt with Omegas, especially pregnant ones. It showed consideration and thought for her patients.

He settled down next to Kensi, who handed over the paperwork they’d filled out. She still had a firm grip on Callen’s hand, but once they were seated, moved it to rest on his knee instead.

“I’m very glad you were able to take us on at such short notice,” Kensi said, taking the lead. 

The doctor gave them a professional smile. “Of course,” she agreed. “I was very sorry to hear about your colleague’s mother. I understand you’re old friends?”

Kensi smiled back at her. “We were at college together,” she explained. “She was more than happy to look after Kevin for me, but now her family needs her and with things so far advanced, we needed to find someone quickly.”

“Well, let’s get started shall we?” Dr Parnell suggested with a nod. “I’d like to do a basic physical examination of Kevin, if that’s alright?”

Kensi nodded agreement. “Very well, if you can undress and put on the gown for me,” Dr Parnell indicated the bed where the garment lay neatly folded and Callen couldn’t help pulling a face. “I’ll just step out and be back in a few minutes, when you’re ready for me.”

“Thank you Doctor,” Kensi said and smiled again as the doctor left the room.

Callen sighed and slowly got to his feet again. He was feeling a little superfluous, considering this appointment was supposed to be for his benefit. He knew it was typical of the way most Omegas were treated, but he was used to being seen as an equal by most of the people he dealt with, in large part due to the fact they hadn’t known he was an Omega for such a long time. 

Kensi helped him undress and get into the gown, tying it loosely at the back for him. She took the opportunity to scope out the room more fully as well. She would pass on her observations once they were back at their undercover house.

“There we are, all done!” she said brightly to him when he was seated on the examination table.

Callen forced himself to give her a sweet smile of thanks as she helped him get settled. He was playing the part of innocent, adoring Omega to her attentive, devoted Alpha. Just as they were done, the door opened again and Dr Parnell reappeared.

“All ready?” she asked.

Kensi smiled at her. “Of course,” she agreed.

“You can stand there,” Dr Parnell instructed, pointing to the head of the table. “You’ll be able to see everything I’m doing without getting in the way.”

Kensi scowled slightly at the patronizing tone, as she moved to Callen’s shoulder, resting one hand there and taking his hand in her other one. Fortunately, she’d waited till she had her back to the doctor and Callen concentrated on not reacting, but keeping his own character. 

The examination was routine to start with – blood pressure, pulse and a check of his reactions, then Dr Parnell wanted to check his heart and lungs. She pulled the gown down enough to be able to get to Callen’s chest. A sharp intake of breath told Callen she’d seen his scars.

“What happened here?” she asked sharply, stepping back to look Callen in the eyes for the first time.

Callen gave a little shrug, but made his expression wide-eyed and anxious. “It was a drive-by shooting,” he said quietly, fiddling with the gown and Kensi’s hand tightened in his.

Kensi patted his shoulder. “It’s how we met,” she said, distracting the doctor’s attention from Callen.

“Oh really?” Dr Parnell looked interested as she turned to Kensi.

They had planned the story out beforehand. “I was still working in a hospital then,” Kensi explained. “Kevin was on the floor where I was stationed and I saw him often, even though he wasn’t my patient. We got talking one day and just clicked straight away.” 

After that, the rest of the examination went smoothly, then Dr Parnell moved to check on the pup, taking more measurements and readings, offering reassurances as she did so. Finally, it was the part that Callen had been dreading – having blood taken.

“You should know Kevin has a needle phobia,” Kensi told her as she got her equipment ready. 

At least that was a more reasonable phobia for Callen’s cover than him as a federal agent.

“No problem,” Dr Parnell said. “Most Omegas are the same. You’re free to do whatever he needs to make him comfortable.”

Kensi smiled at her. “Thank you Doctor,” she said and turned to Callen.

He gave her an anxious smile and leaned towards her. Kensi leaned in as well and their lips met in a kiss. At the same time, Kensi used the position of her body to hide her hand moving from Callen’s shoulder to his neck. Callen had explained that he wouldn’t respond to her if they kissed, because of his Bond with Sam, but if she pressed on the Bonding gland, he would relax enough to make it seem like the kiss was working.

Kensi hadn’t liked the idea; no Alpha wanted to mess with another Alpha’s Bonded Mate in that way, but Callen had told her it was the only option. He wouldn’t get through having the blood taken otherwise, so Kensi had reluctantly agreed.

Fortunately, Dr Parnell worked quickly and as soon as she was done, they were both able to relax again. Kensi kept a tight grip on his hand, as she had throughout the examination and Callen was grateful for the unwavering support. He was missing Sam badly at this point and it was a struggle to remember his cover.

“Alright Mrs Andrews, I’m all done for now,” Dr Parnell announced. “As soon as Kevin is dressed, you’re free to go, but please make another appointment for a week’s time. I don’t anticipate any problems, so we’ll discuss the test results then, as well as go through your birthing plan.”

Kensi smiled and let go of Callen. “Thank you Doctor,” she said, reaching out to shake her hand.

“No problem, I’ll see you in a week.” She left the two of them alone, taking the vials of Callen’s blood and a clipboard of paperwork as she went.

Kensi blew out a breath when she was gone. “Let’s get you dressed and we can get out of here,” she said to Callen, who nodded agreement.

*

That evening, they debriefed with the rest of the team via video conference. Kensi gave her impressions of the doctor and the facility, including a suggestion that the examination room they’d been in had hidden cameras.

“I can check for that, “Eric promised them. 

“And I will ask the FBI to check on the other health centers attended by the previous abductees,” Hetty added.

Sam looked at his partner, who hadn’t contributed anything so far. “What about you G?” he asked, a note of anxiety in his tone that only Callen – and maybe Hetty – was likely to pick up on.

Callen gave a little shrug. “The doctor was a typical Beta, who treated me like a typical Omega,” he said. “I think she bought our covers though and Kensi did a good job of distracting her when the subject of my scars came up. I don’t get the sense that she’s involved at all.”

“We do have one other piece of news,” Hetty told them, grave expression in place.

“Hetty?” Callen leaned forward in his chair.

Hetty pursed her lips. “Unfortunately another Omega has been abducted, in rural Ohio this time.”

“When?” Callen asked sharply.

Hetty gave him a severe look, but he didn’t back down and she sighed after a moment. “Two days ago,” she admitted. “It took some time to filter out and reach the FBI. They have sent a team there from the nearest field office.”

“We’re sure it’s the same people?” Kensi asked.

Nell nodded and added. “Pregnant male Omega, female Alpha, disappeared 127 hours after the last one.”

“127 hours?” Callen asked. “That’s an awfully specific number.”

“It’s a prime number,” Eric interjected. “Each of the abductions has happened exactly 127 hours after the previous one.”

“Did you figure that out Eric?” Kensi sounded teasing, rather than impressed.

He shook his head. “One of the FBI profilers did,” he explained. “Guy’s some sort of genius.”

“Not jealous are you?” Kensi asked with a smirk.

“So the next abduction is due when?” Callen interrupted to ask.

Deeks spoke up. “About three days time,” he said, holding up a tablet with a timer counting down.

“What do you think Hetty?” Callen asked.

She gave him a measured look. “You have only just come to the clinic’s attention,” she reminded them. “Therefore it is not a surprise that they took someone else. But that is not to say you couldn’t be next, now they’ve got more information about you, particularly if there are cameras in the clinic examination rooms as Ms Blye suggested.”

Callen nodded, it was what he’d expected her to say. “We stay in then.”

“Indeed Mr Callen, but if nothing happens in three days time, we will evaluate again at that time.”

Everyone nodded in understanding and then said their farewells, before the screen went blank. Callen leaned back in his seat and sighed, tired after the long day.

“You want to go lie down?” Kensi asked.

Callen glanced at his watch. Although it was still relatively early, he agreed a nap was a good idea. Kensi helped him to his feet and after making their slow way upstairs, she helped him undress a lot more easily than she had the previous night.

“You did good today Kens,” Callen told her, as he got settled in bed.

She stood up, brushing back some hair. “Thanks Callen,” she said with a smile. “I’m going to go read in my room, it’s a little early for me to sleep yet. Call me if you need anything.”

He nodded to her and watched her leave, turning out the light as she went out the door. He grunted as he shifted a little, not really able to get comfortable, but doing his best. In the morning, he would take a walk around the block, to hopefully get himself noticed by their bad guys. It would set a pattern and give them an opportunity to grab him – pretty much the only one he could give them with his current inability to drive or otherwise get out much. He just hoped it was enough to get them to take the bait.

*

As he walked around the neighborhood a few days later, Callen was just grateful that the 127 hours was up during the middle of the morning and not the middle of the night. At least it meant if anything was going to happen, it was out in the open, rather than someone breaking into the house he was sharing with Kensi. Not least because if they were in that situation, he’d have to be sharing a bed with his team mate and he wasn’t at all keen on that idea.

Instead, she’d gone off to the cosmetic surgeon’s office where she was pretending to work that morning and he’d set out on a stroll a few hours later. He had his phone out as he walked, stopping periodically to send her texts or take pictures. They’d worked out a system where if he thought he was being watched or followed, he would send her a photo of flowers, but if it was all clear, he would send a picture of a bird or animal instead.

Now, as Callen reached the corner that would have him at his furthest point from the house, he felt that indefinable prickle that told him someone was watching him. He couldn’t explain it, but had felt it countless times over the years he had been working undercover. So Callen stopped and took a photo of a patch of red flowers that he’d been aware of ever since he’d come up with the suggestion for Kensi.

He straightened his back with a sigh, hand pressing against the spot where the pup was kicking this morning. Then he sent the text to Kensi, picture attached. He wanted to alert his partner as well, but knew he couldn’t. The authorities had found smashed phones belonging to all the other Omegas who had been kidnapped at the locations of their disappearance, but they had no way of telling whether they had been looked at by the kidnappers before they were destroyed.

So Callen carried on walking slowly and felt the same sense of being observed, before he heard footsteps that weren’t quite silent behind him. He forced himself not to react, knowing someone untrained wouldn’t have heard anything and seconds later, felt a sharp scratch on his neck. He raised a hand to it, but almost immediately the world went fuzzy and grey. Just as he started to fall, darkness encroaching, he felt several hands take hold of him and the sensation of being lifted. Then there was nothing.

*

Sam was in the gym, hitting the heavy bag. The room was otherwise empty, Hetty had probably circulated a memo telling everyone else to steer clear, knowing he needed the space alone while he tried to deal with his Mate’s absence and the danger he was facing.

It probably wasn’t fair on Deeks, because his partner was out there too, but Kensi wasn’t in danger, sat in a fake doctor’s office, waiting to let them know if Callen was able to send her a warning. He knew his partner had the skills and if anyone could do it, Callen could. Eight months of inactivity because of his ankle injury and pregnancy wasn’t enough to negate the previous twenty years of experience as a Federal agent or even the skills he’d learned growing up in the foster system before that.

Sam didn’t know how long he’d been in the gym, but he’d worked up enough of a sweat to have discarded his long sleeve shirt, leaving him in just his tank shirt. His cellphone buzzing in his sweatpants pocket got his attention and he slowed to a stop in order to pull it out, grabbing his towel to wipe his face clean as he looked at the alert from Eric.

Flipping the shirt and towel over one shoulder, Sam made his way up to Ops, not stopping to shower and change in his urgency to find out what the situation was.

“What have we got Eric?” Sam asked, as he walked through the sliding doors. A quick glance showed him Deeks and Hetty were already present, hovering over Nell and Eric at their desks on the far side of the room.

“Ah Mr Hanna, Ms Blye has sent a message, she should be coming on momentarily,” Hetty told him.

Sam rubbed at his face with his towel while they waited for the big screen to come to life, which it did just then, Kensi’s face looking out at them with a serious expression.

“Kensi,” Sam nodded at her.

She nodded back, then looked across to her partner. “Deeks,” she smiled at him.

"Nice helmet partner," Deeks told her with a cheeky nod to the blond wig she wore for her undercover role.

“What do you have for us Ms Blye?” Hetty asked, coming to stand next to Sam.

“I sent on Callen’s text,” Kensi said. “You should have it Eric?”

The tech operator nodded, tapping at his keyboard to put it up on the screen next to Kensi’s video feed.

Sam studied it and frowned. “Flowers?” he asked, confused.

“Yeah, we had a code,” Kensi said. “Callen was texting throughout his walks every day. If everything was okay, he was sending birds or animals. If he thought someone was following him, he would send a picture of flowers instead. This was the last message I got, a half hour ago.”

Nell looked up. “That would fit with the time line,” she said. 

“127 hours?” Sam asked.

Nell nodded. 

“So this is it then, you think he’s been taken?” Deeks asked.

“I’m just scrubbing through the nearest cameras now,” Eric announced, not looking round as his fingers continued to fly over his keyboard. Seconds later, he was jumping to his feet, tablet in hand.

Footage replaced the text message on the split screen. As they watched, a white cargo van drove down the street and round a corner. 

“This is the street where Callen’s tracker showed him to be,” Eric explained. “There’s no camera actually on that street.” He tapped at his tablet, fast-forwarding the footage. Several minutes later, the same van returned.

Eric tapped at his tablet again, adding another feed to the screen, below the video footage. “This shows Callen’s tracker now,” he said. A blinking dot was moving along a map of the city. “And this is his phone,” Eric added and another dot appeared on the map, but this one wasn’t moving.

“That’s the street where he was walking before the van went down it,” Eric added, in case they hadn’t got it.

“Kensi, you go check it out,” Sam ordered. She was the closest of them. “Previous victims, they’ve destroyed their phones and left them when they kidnapped them.”

“On it,” Kensi nodded and the video showing her blinked out.

Deeks looked at Sam. “Should I go meet her?” he asked.

Hetty spoke first. “No, Ms Blye needs to do this as Terese Andrews,” she said. “She’s an Alpha looking for her pregnant Mate and she has to react as the traffickers would expect in that situation, just in case they’re still watching.”

“Okay, so what do we do?” Deeks asked, a hint of frustration coloring his tone.

“We wait,” Sam said. He turned to Hetty. “Let me know when you hear back from Kensi,” he added.

“Of course Mr Hanna,” she agreed, touching his arm briefly with a sympathetic smile.

There was nothing else they could do for the moment but wait and watch and hope that Callen would be okay.

*

Several hours later, they had located the general area where Callen had been taken. It had been difficult for the team when his tracker data disappeared. Eric in particular had been upset and Sam had had to reassure him that he wasn’t to blame.

“Best guess, they’re using jammers,” Eric said, hands raised in frustration. 

Kensi had rejoined them, after dealing with LAPD at the scene. “How wide an area?”

“A few square miles,” Nell told them. She was doing her best to keep Eric calm and focussed.

“So what’s the plan?” Deeks asked, staring at the map showing on the big screen.

Hetty spoke first. “We’re going to maintain remote surveillance for the moment,” she announced. “Mr Beale has managed to tap into the cameras in the area and we are monitoring the vehicles coming and going from the area.”

Sam stirred beside her, but she carried on before he could interrupt. “We will also go back through the footage from the last few days to see if we can identify anyone as well as establish a pattern of their behavior.”

“Why aren’t we just going in now?” Deeks protested. 

“We need intel first,” Sam spoke, voice controlled and not giving away how tightly wound he was. He turned to Eric. “I want you to go onto the dark web Eric, see if you can find any useful information from there.”

“What am I looking for?” Eric asked, glancing between Sam and Hetty.

Hetty pursed her lips indicating what she was about to say none of them would like. “Auctions,” she said.

Eric stared at her, not understanding. “People offering pregnant Omegas for sale,” Sam said slowly and carefully, anger now coloring his tone. 

Eric went white at that, then turned to his keyboard and immediately started typing, Nell’s hand on his arm in a gesture of support.

“What about us Hetty?” Kensi asked, sounding eager for something to do.

“I would like you and Mr Deeks to start the review of the CCTV footage that Nell is procuring,” she said. “You will note down any vehicles you find and anyone entering or leaving the area. Miss Jones will assist you in identifying persons of interest.”

“Of course,” Kensi agreed and Deeks nodded. “We’ll work downstairs,” she touched Deeks on the elbow and they left Ops, giving Sam a sympathetic smile on the way.

Sam turned to Hetty. “And what about me?” he asked.

“You will be writing up our assault plan for the tactical teams,” she said calmly. “I would like you to plan for several scenarios and different locations, including offices, factories and warehouses.”

Sam nodded understanding. “I can do that,” he agreed. 

“Very good Mr Hanna. I will brief Director Vance and the FBI. We will also plan for an undercover element. If Mr Beale does find an auction, we will take advantage of the opportunity to infiltrate it, so that we can extract Mr Callen expeditiously.”

Sam raised his eyebrows at that. “Are you expecting trouble Hetty?”

“I always expect trouble Mr Hanna.” She started to walk out of Ops, gesturing Sam to follow her. “But in this instance, I wish to be prepared because of how far advanced Mr Callen’s pregnancy is. He is further along than anyone else who has been taken and that is a concern.”

Sam breathed in hard, not saying anything as he fought his anger. Hetty was right, it was an issue, but one he’d been trying hard not to think about. Hetty’s hand rested on his arm briefly.

“We will get him back Sam,” she said quietly, using his first name. Her expression was fierce and Sam was reminded that she thought of Callen as her son and his Mate considered her the closest thing he had to a mother.

“Yes, yes we will,” he agreed determinedly, feeling a renewed surge of purpose. “I’m going to go write that plan and then I’ll brief the teams.”

Hetty smiled at him. “Very good Mr Hanna,” she said approvingly. “I will ask Agent Rand to arrange a suitable staging area where we can meet to co-ordinate our efforts.”

Sam nodded and headed for the armory. He wanted peace and quiet for his planning and the other half of the team were in the bullpen reviewing CCTV footage. 

*

The next couple of days were agonizing for Sam. They hadn’t been able to determine exactly what building the Omegas were being held in, because of a lack of camera coverage. However, after reviewing the last week of footage, which was all they were able to access, Nell had confirmed that she had seen the Omega who had been taken before Callen arrive at the location in the same white van used to abduct Callen.

“They didn’t even change the plates,” Kensi had said, disgust evident in her tone.

Sam shook his head, unable to believe the arrogance of the people they were dealing with. 

“What’s the plan?” Deeks asked, looking between Sam and Hetty.

“We go with our undercover option,” Hetty said, all steely-eyed determination. “The tactical teams will be on standby ready to carry out their raid on our signal.”

The team were clustered around the table in Ops, Sam’s tactical plans laid out in front of them. “We’ve brought in LAPD and ATF as well as the FBI,” he explained. “As we don’t know exactly how many people we’re dealing with, the plan is to go in hard and take out everyone, then sort out the details later.”

“And us?” Deeks asked. 

Hetty took up the explanation, as she had planned this aspect of the operation. “Mr Beale has set up myself and Ms Blye as potential buyers, with you and Mr Hanna as our ‘muscle’. The auction is tomorrow evening, so we have until then to get everything in place.” 

“We’ll go in as a group, find G and extract him, while the tactical teams make their assault,” Sam added.

“What about the other Omegas?” Eric asked anxiously.

Hetty put a gentle hand on his arm. “We will have paramedics on standby to assist as well,” she told him. “There is no reason to believe any of the traffickers or buyers will want to harm them. Once everyone is secure, they’ll be taken to hospital and the FBI will arrange for their families to come out and reunite with them.”

Eric nodded understanding and Nell slipped a hand into his. “We’ll co-ordinate everything from here,” she said. “Hopefully once you’re in and take control, we’ll be able to get access to their computer systems and gather more intel on anyone else who is involved.”

“Very good Miss Jones,” Hetty said approvingly. “Now, once you have reviewed everything, I want everyone to go home, eat something and get some rest. We’ll reconvene here in 24 hours.”

Everyone picked up a copy of the plan and while Nell and Eric retreated to their desks, Kensi and Deeks headed down to the bullpen. Hetty turned to Sam, who hadn’t moved from his position at the table.

“You need to rest as well Mr Hanna,” she told him quietly. 

Sam gave a shrug. “I know,” he agreed, but still didn’t move.

“Perhaps some time with your children would help?” Hetty suggested.

Sam shook his head. “I can’t,” he said. “Michelle has taken them to stay with her sister for a few days, until this is resolved.”

“Well then, we can arrange a video call with them,” Hetty suggested. “I’m sure Ms Hanna will understand.” 

Sam sighed, picking up his copy of the plan. “I just hope this works,” he said. “I want G back.” It wasn’t like him to be so open about his personal life, but he was really worried about his Mate and knew Hetty would understand, because of her own closeness to Callen.

“We all do Sam,” she said gently. “Now let’s go down to the armory, you’ll have privacy there to make your call.”

“Okay,” Sam agreed and followed Hetty out the door. Talking to the girls would at least serve as a distraction for a little while.

*

Callen was wheeled into the Emergency Room and through to a room. Sam was pleased to see that Dr Walker, Callen’s OBGYN was waiting. Hetty had arranged for her to be on standby and it was a relief to know that Hetty had found the time to contact her and let her know they were on the way. 

“Sam,” she patted his arm as he came to a stop just inside the door.

He flashed her a strained smile, watching as his Mate was transferred from the gurney to a bed. There was another doctor in the room, as well as a nurse and the paramedics quickly relayed Callen’s vital statistics to them, before heading out again.

“Any news yet on what drugs he’s been given?” Dr Walker asked.

Sam shook his head. “Let me call Hetty, get an update,” he said, digging out his cellphone.

Dr Walker nodded and walked over to confer with the other doctor as Sam made the call.

“Mr Hanna, what is the situation?” Hetty asked immediately.

“We just got to the ER,” Sam told her. “Dr Walker is here, but they need to know about the drugs.”

“Ah yes, Ms Blye will call you momentarily,” Hetty told him. “We have located a doctor who was locked up in a hidden room. He can provide the details you require. One of the medics on scene is just checking him over first.”

“Thanks Hetty, I’ll pass that on,” Sam told her and ended the call.

Dr Walker came back over, so Sam let her know they’d be hearing soon. “That’s good, because it looks like labor has started and we need to know as soon as possible whether it’s safe to let it continue or if we should perform a c-section,” Dr Walker said.

Sam grimaced at that, but his cell rang before he could say anything. “Kensi,” Sam said, seeing her name on caller ID.

“Sam, I have a doctor here who was responsible for dosing all the Omegas,” she immediately told him. “I’ve got you on speaker phone.”

“I’ll do the same,” Sam told her, “Then the doctors can hear directly what he’s telling you.” He pressed the appropriate button on his cell and held it out so everyone in the room could hear.

A hesitant male voice came on the line and started to explain the drugs he’d used and the doses. “I gave as little as I could,” he said, sounding upset. “These animals knew nothing, but I had to give enough they had the reactions they expected. The Omegas couldn’t be too awake or I’d have had to give more. I was doing my best.”

“It’s alright doctor,” Dr Walker interrupted to say. “We understand. But I need to know how long before these drugs wear off and if there are likely to be interactions. The Omega I have here has started labor and I have to know if it’s safe to let him continue or if I should intervene.”

“This is the blue eyed older one with scars, yes?” the man on the phone asked.

Dr Walker nodded automatically as she answered. “Yes,” she agreed.

The doctor on the phone made a noise. “They were most enamored with him, despite the scars,” he told them. “He was not like the others, I had to give him more to protect him.”

A hand on Sam’s arm got his attention and he realized he was growling. He handed the phone to Dr Walker and had to leave the room to get some space and get himself under control again. He stalked down the corridor, forcing himself to breathe deeply, resisting the urge to smash his fist into a wall. Losing control and hurting himself would not do his Mate any favors.

Finally, Sam felt a little more in charge of himself and slowly walked back down the corridor to his Mate’s room. As he walked in, he noticed that Dr Walker was in conference with the other doctor again, phone call obviously done. He picked up his cell and pocketed it again.

Dr Walker turned to him. “We’ve agreed the best thing for Callen is to proceed with a c-section,” she said. “The drugs aren’t going to wear off for several hours and it’s safer for him and the pup to act now.”

“Yeah, okay,” Sam agreed. “What do I need to do?”

“There will be paperwork for you to sign,” Dr Walker told him. “But you can be in the room, as long as you put on scrubs.”

Sam nodded his agreement. “No problems,” he said. He needed to be there for his Mate.

“Alright then, the OR will be ready soon, so the nurse will take you to where you can get changed and then bring you to the OR afterwards. I need to scrub in myself.”

“Thank you,” Sam said. He turned to the nurse, who gestured for him to follow her and they headed out of the room and down the corridor.

*

Instead of the six to eight hours predicted by the doctors, it was ten hours before Callen finally showed signs of waking up. Sam had been at his side the whole time, since their son’s birth. He had held and fed Drew a bottle of formula provided by the hospital staff, but he was now sleeping in the crib next to Callen’s bed.

Sam was sitting between the crib and Callen’s bed, where he could keep an eye on both of them. He had catnapped on and off during the long night, unable to completely relax despite the private room and the fact that Hetty had brought one of her own security staff to stand guard outside the door.

Hetty was the only one of the team to have visited the hospital – she had sent everyone else home once they were finished at the scene. Sam hadn’t wanted them to visit while Callen was still unconscious and hadn’t yet had a chance to meet his own son. There had been no question of Hetty staying away though, giving her importance in his Mate’s life.

She had settled in the second visitor chair and accepted the blanket wrapped bundle that was Drew, who had slept on as oblivious as his Omega father. “I have spoken to Dr Cranston,” Hetty told him quietly, her expression soft in a way Sam had never seen before, even when she was watching Callen.

Sam had nodded, though he wasn’t sure Hetty had seen. He was still seething about what had happened and the fact that his Mate had been denied the chance of experiencing the birth of their son. He knew that Callen would be upset as well and both of them having the chance to talk about it was a good thing, despite it being against their usual nature to talk about anything personal.

Callen had found it beneficial talking to Dr Cranston after his kidnapping and the exposure of his true nature as an Omega, so Sam was willing to have her come back and speak to his Mate again, to help him through this latest situation.

*

Callen slowly opened his eyes, blinking a little as he took in his surroundings. Sadly, the hospital environment was all too familiar by now, but his brow furrowed as he tried to remember what he’d done this time to warrant his presence here.

Sam’s soft voice calling his name caught his attention and he turned to see his Mate sitting beside him, only then realizing Sam was holding his hand.

“Sam,” he managed to say, not sure why he felt so lethargic.

Sam’s hand tightened on his. “How you feeling G?” he asked.

Callen frowned again. “Confused,” he admitted, not up to more than one word responses yet.

Sam scowled, but Callen knew it wasn’t aimed at him. “What’s the last thing you remember?” he asked.

Callen closed his eyes as he thought back, then opened them again with a gasp when memories came flooding back. He shoved down the bedding with his free hand.

“Drew?” he asked, putting his hand on his flat belly and wincing when he realized he felt sore.

Sam squeezed his hand and he looked up. “He’s here and fine,” he told Callen, indicating the crib Callen hadn’t noticed before.

“Oh!” Callen’s breath came out in a sigh as he took in the tiny figure. He turned back to Sam. “What happened?” 

Sam had what Callen could only call a murderous glare on his face. “They had you drugged up and chained in a cage,” he said. “They were going to sell you all to the highest bidder.”

Callen shivered at that. “I don’t remember any of it,” he admitted.

“That’s the drugs,” Sam told him. “Kensi found a doctor locked up in the offices where you were being held, they were making him dose you all up to keep you compliant. We were able to get you out, bring you here, but you were in labour and Dr Williams said that the safest thing for both of you was to give you a c-section.”

Callen blinked, feeling winded by the revelation. He couldn’t believe he’d missed experiencing Drew’s birth thanks to the traffickers. “Did you at least take them all down?” he asked.

“We did,” Sam nodded. “A bunch of potential buyers were arrested and most of the traffickers gave up as well. All the other Omegas are at different hospitals, but they’re all fine from what Hetty told me. Their families are on the way to reunite with them.”

“And SecNav’s cousin?”

Sam nodded. “Also rescued and doing okay. Vance sends his thanks and best wishes, SecNav is likely to want to thank you in person, based on what Hetty said.”

Callen frowned. “Not sure I really did anything,” he admitted.

Sam squeezed his hand. “You did plenty G,” he said. “But you should probably get some sleep now, Drew will need you soon enough.”

“You too,” Callen said, tugging on Sam’s hand. “There’s enough room for both of us in this bed.”

He was right, the beds were designed to be shared by Mated pairs after childbirth, and Sam wanted the closeness as well. So he took the invitation and settled in next to his Mate. Callen dropped off fairly quickly and Sam wasn’t too far behind.

*

It was a couple of hours later when they were both woken by Drew’s cries. Sam fetched him from the crib and handed him to Callen, who had an amazed look on his face. He took a few moments to hold the pup close and take in his scent and taste, pressing delicate kisses to the scrunched up face. Drew settled quickly, snuffling against his father in a way that told Sam he was scenting as well.

Callen opened his top and guided Drew to his chest, clearly working on instinct. Sam watched closely, perched on the edge of the bed for the moment, as Drew latched on to a nipple and started to suck. Callen’s face was a mixture of emotions.

“You okay?” Sam asked in concern.

Callen slowly looked up at him. “Feels weird,” he admitted. He frowned for a moment, then his expression cleared again. “Good though.”

Sam smiled and reached out for the hand that wasn’t cradling Drew. “I love you so much right now,” he murmured softly.

Callen’s answering smile was sweet. “Love you too Alpha daddy,” he said.

Sam reached out to stroke one finger gently across Drew’s cheek. A noise at the door got his attention though and he whirled, getting to his feet in a defensive stance, drawing the gun he’d refused to relinquish. A nurse stood just inside the opened door, hands out and shocked look on his face.

“Who are you?” Sam growled, taking a step forward.

“Nu-nurse Evans,” the man stuttered. “I was just coming to check on Omega Callen and the pup. The monitors showed they were awake.”

Sam growled again and the nurse stumbled back against the door. “Sam!” Callen’s voice was quiet but firm behind him.

“Get Dr Walker,” Sam ordered.

The nurse nodded frantically and fled out the door. Sam crossed to the door and opened it slightly. Hetty’s guard was still there and he looked at Sam, who held the gun down at his side.

“Is there a problem Alpha Hanna?” he asked deferentially. “The nurse had the right credentials.”

Sam sighed and tucked the gun back out of sight. “No problem, just no one else but Dr Walker is allowed in here unless I tell you otherwise.”

The guard nodded. “Of course sir.”

Sam went back into the room and closed the door firmly, annoyed that it didn’t have a lock.

“What’s going on Sam?” Callen asked, studying him worriedly, Drew still cradled close to his body and feeding.

Sam sighed and forced himself to breathe deeply, rolling his shoulders. He crossed back over to the bed and slid in behind Callen, putting his arms around his Mate and ducking down to breathe in his scent. Callen didn’t say anything, just tilted his head to expose his Mating gland to Sam, who licked across it then bit gently, not enough to break the skin.

Callen whined softly and the scent of Omega slick and pheromones filled the air. Sam growled and guided Callen’s head around so that he could kiss his Mate thoroughly. By the time he let go, Callen was breathing hard and flushed, although he still had Drew held close.

“We can’t do this,” Sam said reluctantly, even though all he wanted was to pin Callen down and drive into him, marking his claim to his Mate once more.

Callen raised his eyebrows, then pressed back against Sam’s hard cock, making him growl again. “You’re the one who started it,” he pointed out.

Before Sam could respond, there was a loud knock at the door. “Alpha Hanna, Dr Walker is here,” the guard called.

Drew started to cry at the same time and Callen bent his head to try and soothe him, as Sam went to the door.

“Sounds like my patients are awake,” Dr Walker commented as she came into the room.

Callen looked up at her briefly with a small nod of acknowledgement. “I think he needs changing,” he said.

“I’ll do that while the doctor checks you,” Sam said, reaching out to take Drew from Callen.

The check up was brief but thorough. Afterwards, Dr Walker checked over Drew as well, then handed him back to Callen. 

“You’re both doing well,” she told Callen. “It’ll probably be another day before you’ve fully metabolized the effects of the drugs. The same with Drew, so both of you will still want to sleep a lot until they’re completely out of your system. You can get up for bathroom trips and nothing else and let Sam help you when you do go.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure of it,” Sam told her.

She smiled in understanding. “You can also eat some bland foods, I’ll make sure the staff know what you’re allowed to have.” She turned to Sam. “And Sam, you will allow the nursing staff access to check up on Callen and Drew, no more threatening them with your gun.”

Callen smirked at his Mate, who looked sheepish at the telling off. “Yeah, okay, I’m sorry,” Sam said. 

“I do understand Sam, but Hetty told me the threat was dealt with and you have a guard on the door as well, checking the staff. And on the subject of Hetty, she also told me that Dr Cranston is on the way and should be here to see you later this afternoon.”

Callen made a face at that, but didn’t complain. He knew that he needed to talk about what had happened. Instead he asked the question that really mattered to him. “When can we go home?”

Dr Walker studied him. “Not for at least another two days,” she said. “We need to make sure your incision is healing properly and the drugs are completely gone from your system.”

Callen pouted, but knew that he couldn’t argue. Sam squeezed his arm in sympathy. Dr Walker stood up. “Alright, I’m going to arrange some food for you both and leave you to rest.”

“Thanks Doc,” Sam said and he followed her to the door, speaking to the guard briefly before coming back to settle in the bed with Callen once more.

*

They went home on the fourth day, Callen holding Drew as Sam wheeled him down the corridor. They had managed to persuade the team to wait until they’d had a couple of days at home before visiting. Really, Callen thought it was more a case of Sam threatening dire consequences if they didn’t do as he wanted.

Hetty had arranged for Callen’s Mercedes to be brought to the hospital for them and someone had installed the car seat for Drew in the back. Callen took his time carefully making sure he was buckled in properly before finally stepping back and closing the door. He chose the other back seat for himself, rather than the front passenger seat next to Sam, somehow not able to be any further away from his son. Sam gave him an indulgent smile and shake of the head, but it wasn’t like Sam was any better at getting distance from either of them.

Fortunately, the trip home was smooth and before long, Callen was carrying Drew into the house, while Sam carried the one bag of stuff they’d accumulated in the hospital. Michelle was there waiting, back from her sister’s in San Francisco, although the girls were at school.

“Hey,” she said with a smile for both of them.

Callen gave her a distracted smile back, because Drew chose that moment to wake up and start fussing.

“You take him up to the nursery, I’ll sort out our things,” Sam told him. 

Callen nodded and headed up the stairs. It seemed odd being back at the house with Drew there and knowing Michelle and the girls were now living there. She had let Sam and Callen get settled for a few days before moving in with the girls, just before Vance and Jarvis had brought the trafficking case to them. And it seemed hard to believe that barely a couple of weeks had gone by since that visit.

The nursery was large and light, decorated in a pale blue color, with a mural on one wall. Callen really loved it, especially as Sam had made all the furniture himself. He settled into the rocking chair and opened his shirt, knowing Drew needed to feed and then he’d settle down for a nap, allowing Callen a chance to eat. Even though it had only been a few days, they’d managed to settle into a routine. Being home would make it easier, but Callen was already dreading the thought of Sam going back to work in a few weeks. It was crazy how quickly and easily he’d adapted to domestic bliss, when he’d hardly owned any furniture a few months ago.

*

Callen finally had the all clear from the doctor to resume all his usual activities. It had been a long few weeks, even with Drew to distract him. Even though both he and Sam were on suppressants for the duration of his recovery, Callen ached to have his Mate inside him again. Hands and mouths were all very well, but there was nothing like having Sam’s big cock filling him, knotting him and making his belly swell with come.

Of course, because the universe hated him or something, Sam had been called in the day before to deal with an urgent case involving one of his old covers. Callen knew he was being unfair when he pouted and whined at Sam’s absence, but couldn’t help himself. 

“I know G, I know,” Sam had said desperately as he’d dressed for work. “I promise I’ll be back as soon as possible.”

Drew choosing that moment to start crying was the perfect distraction and allowed Callen to send his Mate off with a lingering kiss and a warning to be careful. Not being there to back Sam up in the field was hard for him, even if Kensi and Deeks were more than adequate substitutes, they weren’t him.

Fortunately, Michelle was there to keep him company, driving him to the doctor’s office and looking after Drew while Callen had his check up. Afterwards, she’d insisted on taking him shopping. He’d grumbled, but mostly for form’s sake. In truth, he was glad of the distraction. They’d gone to Santa Monica Place and he’d spent too much money on clothes for Drew, considering how fast he was growing, as well as buying a bunch of toys and books. 

Michelle had watched on in amusement, but did little to discourage him. “What about the girls?” Callen asked, as they headed to the food court.

“What about them?” Michelle parroted.

Callen gestured with one hand. “You’re not buying them anything.”

Michelle snorted at that. “I know better than to buy those two anything by myself,” she said. 

“Let me guess, it’s a girl thing?” Callen asked.

Michelle nodded. “Got it in one. Where do you want to eat?”

Callen looked around at the various options. “Johnny Rockets,” he pointed to the restaurant. It was typical American food and that was what he was in the mood for today.

*

They were nearly finished eating when Callen’s phone cell buzzed in his pocket. He fished it out and opened the text message.

“Op over, on way back to office, home soon.”

It was typically short and to the point from Sam. Callen felt relief wash through him at the news and he relaxed, realizing the first time just how tense he’d been, despite Michelle’s best efforts to distract him.

“Good news?” Michelle’s voice brought him out of his thoughts and he looked up to see a wistful smile on her face. It reminded him that not that long ago, she was the one who’d be getting this sort of message and he felt a twinge of guilt at the thought.

“Sam’s done,” he explained.

She nodded briskly. “We should get going then, you’ll want to be home when he gets there.”

Callen blushed at the knowing look she gave him. “Thanks ‘Chelle,” he said, before turning to fuss with Drew’s blanket, even though the pup was sleeping and it didn’t need adjusting.

*

Once they were home, Michelle took the shopping bags so that Callen could carry Drew and his bag of things up to the nursery.

“Pack him a bag and I’ll pack for me and the girls,” Michelle told him, as she dumped the bags in a corner.

“What?” Callen turned, startled by the instruction.

She rolled her eyes at him. “Your Mate is coming home after two days away and you’ve been given the all-clear by the doctor after several months of abstinence. The two of you need some time alone. I’ll take the pup and girls to Sam’s parents for a couple of nights, they’ve been agitating to spend some quality time with the family.”

Callen stood frozen at the suggestion. He couldn’t imagine being away from Drew for any amount of time, but on the other hand, the prospect of some time alone with Sam was an exciting one. Plus there was the fact that it was more or less a year since they’d Mated, so it would be nice to be able to do something together to celebrate that privately. It wouldn’t be fair to remind Michelle of that either.

“Okay,” he finally agreed and went to the dresser to pull out clothes. As he packed, his phone chimed with a text from Sam, promising to be home in an hour.

Callen quickly tucked a few changes of clothes in a bag, along with diapers and all the other paraphernalia that a young baby required. When Michelle reappeared, he handed her the bag, before picking Drew up from his cot again.

He buckled Drew into the baby seat in Michelle’s car, then waved her off, before heading back inside. He wanted to be ready for when Sam got home. Upstairs, he stripped off and showered, checking the time when he came out. By his reckoning, he had about ten minutes before he expected Sam to arrive, which was just about enough time to get himself ready.

He pulled out the gift he’d already gotten for Sam, thanks to internet shopping, putting the gift-wrapped parcel on his night stand, before pulling out a new tube of lube. Anticipation had his cock hard and slick coating his thighs, pulse pounding as arousal flooded his body. The distant sound of the front door opening warned him Sam was here, so he quickly got into position.

The sound of Sam’s footsteps and voice calling his name had Callen trembling in anticipation. The bedroom door swung open and he looked up to see his Mate filling the doorway.

“Surprise!” Callen managed to say through a mouth gone dry with anticipation and nerves.

Sam stared at him, taking in the view of Callen on all fours on the mattress, legs spread wide in invitation. There was a growl from his Alpha, then Sam was at his side in a few long strides. He fumbled his pants open as Callen watched, not even bothering to undress. The scent of slick and pheromones filled the room. 

Callen waited eagerly as Sam climbed behind him, big hands gripping his hips and spreading his ass cheeks to reveal Callen’s slick, stretched hole. Sam was growling constantly and Callen was whining, desperate to be filled. Sam didn’t keep him waiting, getting into position and guiding his cock into Callen, slamming deep with a hard, fast thrust, making Callen shout.

Sam immediately started moving, pounding Callen’s ass mercilessly with firm strokes, knot filling Callen before long as the Alpha leaned down to bit his Omega’s Bonding gland, making Callen shout as orgasm punched through him, while Sam’s cock pumped his come in his ass.

It had been fast and brutal, exactly what they’d both needed to reconnect. Sam guided Callen onto his side, so that they’d be more comfortable while they waited out his knot.

*

“What’s that?” Sam’s question pulled him from the half-doze he’d slipped into.

“Oh,” Callen reached for the package on the night stand. “Happy Anniversary,” he said, passing it to Sam.

Sam was able to gently pull out of Callen, shifting into a seated position. Callen winced a little at the soreness, but it wasn’t unexpected. He curled onto his side next to Sam, watching his Mate pull the paper off the package.

“A paddle?” Sam held it up and looked over at Callen with raised eyebrows.

Callen couldn’t help the blush. “You know I enjoyed it that one time in the hospital,” he said defensively.

“I’m not judging you G,” Sam said gently. “I just wasn’t expecting this.”

Callen squirmed, so Sam pulled him forward into his arms, kissing him gently. “Only if you want to use it,” he said when Sam let him go.

“Oh I’ll definitely be using it,” Sam said, wicked gleam in his eyes. “But we’ll need time and space for that.”

Callen grinned at that. “We have both,” he said.

Sam raised his eyebrows and Callen’s grin got smug. “Michelle has taken Drew to your parents, she’s going to stay there with him and the girls for a couple of days.”

“Really?” Sam asked.

Callen shrugged. “She said we needed the time alone. I think we owe her big time.”

“I agree, but let’s forget about that for now and concentrate on us,” Sam said. He didn’t give Callen a chance to reply, instead pressing their mouths together in a kiss that was much less gentle than the previous one had been. 

Callen moaned and happily let Sam take control. His Omega instincts were surging and he surrendered to his Mate, who plundered his mouth.

When Sam finally let him go, Callen was breathing hard, cock aching and slick coating his thighs, dripping down to soak the sheets beneath him.

“I’m going to knot you, fill you full of my come, then turn you over and spank you until you’re hard and ready for my knot again,” Sam’s voice was deep and smooth, full of threat and promise, making Callen shiver.

“Please,” he said, arching his body beneath Sam, who hummed in approval, lowering his head to lick and bite at Callen’s throat.

Sam moved down again, closing his mouth around one nipple gently. “Oh!” Callen jerked in surprise at that. His nipples were pretty sensitive because of the breast feeding and he was aching from unexpressed milk.

Sam raised his head and looked at him. “Too much?” he asked seriously.

“No,” Callen said hoarsely. “As long as it doesn’t bother you?”

Sam shook his head. “Of course not,” he said and with that lowered his head to the same nipple and started sucking once more, making Callen squirm and moan. 

Sam switched to the other side and Callen arched up and moaned again, body quivering with the flood of sensations and he ached to be filled.

“Please,” he begged, arching up again.

Sam lowered his body onto Callen, making him whine, as his Mate’s weight pinned him to the bed. Sam chuckled, moving downwards to taste more of Callen, until he swallowed down his cock. Callen shouted wordlessly, punching the bed at the hot suction, but it still wasn’t what he needed.

Sam finally pulled back, dark eyes hot with lust as he stared down at Callen, who shivered at the sight. Sam’s cock was jutting out hard and proud, making Callen’s mouth water and more slick gushed out to coat his thighs and the bed once more.

“Alright then,” Sam said roughly and he shifted position, quickly moving to push his cock into Callen, who moaned with relief as his aching insides were filled and stretched by the hard flesh.

Sam immediately started to thrust and lowered his head to mouth at Callen’s neck, licking at his Bonding gland. Callen whined again, tipping his head back to expose more of his neck to Sam’s attentions. As Sam’s knot pushed inside him, he also bit down hard on the Bonding gland, breaking the skin and making Callen scream. His cock spurted over both of them, while Sam’s cock filled him with come as his Mate locked their bodies together. 

*

Sam had maneuvered them to a comfortable position to wait out his knot, making Callen shiver and moan. He kept up soothing touches to his Mate’s body, feeling like he was relearning Callen’s skin after all the changes. Callen leaned into him, soaking up the touch, making Sam feel protective towards him. Having a Mate was not something Sam had expected and he knew that was even more true for Callen. It felt like they were making up for lost time as they got to know each other in this new way.

“Can’t believe it’s been a year,” Sam commented. 

Callen hummed agreement, snuggled up against his body, making Sam smile down on him fondly. He knew how touch-starved Callen had been before and it pleased him to be able to give this to his Mate. Having Drew was a blessing neither of them had been prepared for and they were gradually adjusting to having the little pup in their lives. Sam didn’t know if Callen would go back to work or not and in truth, he didn’t think Callen knew yet either. But having the Secretary of the Navy on their side eased the burden of decision making.

Sam ran his fingers up Callen’s arm, feeling the birth control implant in the same spot where the Navy tracker had been. They’d been in agreement that they didn’t want to risk a second pregnancy, so the implant had been the obvious solution, because they were also in agreement that they didn’t want to use condoms during sex. They enjoyed Callen being swollen with Sam’s come too much to lose that because of the need for protection.

Callen turned his head into Sam, hair brushing against his chest as he did so and Sam felt light kisses pressed to his skin. He wasn’t the only one relearning their Mate’s body here. The instincts of their Dynamic meant they needed to get to know one another again.

Callen shifted just then, rubbing his ass against Sam’s cock as he did so and Sam couldn’t help a growl escaping him. That was one instinct that was definitely in good working order and he suddenly felt the need to try out the paddle his Mate had surprisingly gifted him with earlier.

Sam took hold of Callen and lifted him, making his Mate moan as he did so. Sam grinned down at him fiercely, as he lowered him to the bed. Callen grinned back, then Sam rolled him onto his stomach with another growl and Callen lowered his head submissively, whining as he did so. He arched his back, lifting to his knees and spreading his legs to present himself to his Mate.

Sam was growling continuously now, instincts in control. He reached for the paddle, not hesitating before bringing it down hard on his Mate’s firm ass. Callen yelled, but held still and so Sam did it again. He quickly set a hard, fast rhythm, watching as his Mate’s ass got redder and redder. Callen was whining, but lifting into the blows, pheromones and the scent of slick rising sharply around them. 

Sam kept up the paddling until his cock ached with the need to bury himself in his Mate’s slick ass. He finally dropped the paddle to the floor and lunged forward, gripping the swollen red flesh and parting Callen’s buttocks. Callen cried out, but held his position, even though Sam could see his arms shaking. Sam shoved in hard, knowing he could take it, growling loudly again as he bottomed out in one thrust.

Callen cried out again, arms giving way, so that his upper body collapsed to the bed. Sam leaned over his body, only needing a couple of shallow thrusts before his knot was swelling and he was shoving it into his Mate. At the same time he bit down once more on the sensitive Bonding gland, making Callen scream this time and go limp beneath him.

Sam’s cock pulsed, come flooding his Mate’s insides, while Sam continued to worry at the broken skin of his neck. As Sam’s breathing slowly calmed down, he turned Callen’s head gently, making sure his Mate could breathe properly, as he was still out cold. He stayed stretched out over Callen, enjoying the feel of his Mate’s body beneath him, until Callen stirred with a groan. Then Sam rolled them to their sides, keeping Callen wrapped in his embrace.

“Sam?” Callen’s voice was rough from all the screaming.

Sam gently stroked him. “I got you G,” he said.

Callen burrowed back against Sam, then winced. “Whoa,” he murmured.

“Yeah,” Sam said apologetically. He had gone pretty hard on his Mate’s ass.

Callen patted his arm. “Don’t apologize,” he told Sam. “That was exactly what I wanted.”

Sam sighed, then tilted Callen’s mouth towards him so that he could kiss him slowly and gently. Callen hummed happily when Sam finally broke the kiss again and Sam eased back, separating their bodies. Callen couldn’t help a wince, but still looked content, so Sam tried to push his guilt aside.

“Top drawer,” Callen said, pointing to the nightstand.

Sam reached out to pull it open and fumbled inside, pulling out a tube after a moment. He looked at it and saw it was aloe gel. “Good idea, but let’s shower first and change the sheets,” Sam said.

Callen groaned. “That means I have to move,” he pouted.

“Yeah, but you’ll feel better for it,” Sam told him with a small chuckle.

Callen rolled on to his side, frowning at Sam. “This is going to hurt,” he said darkly.

“You were the one who wanted this,” Sam pointed out gently.

“Yeah, but I thought you’d put the aloe on before I had to get up.” Callen looked unhappy and Sam sighed.

“Trust me G, you’ll feel better if you spend some time under the hot water first.”

Callen looked at him. “How do you know?” he asked.

“How do you think?” Sam asked back.

Callen’s eyes got wide. “You?”

“It was a long time ago and it was an op,” Sam told him. “And that is all I can say.”

Callen didn’t push it. He just frowned thoughtfully, then held a hand out to Sam, who took it and stepped closer. He took the other hand as well and pulled his Mate to his feet as quickly as possible. Callen still hissed with pain, but didn’t complain any further. Sam guided him in to the bathroom and turned on the shower.

“You just stand there while I strip the bed,” Sam told him.

Callen nodded, still subdued, but obediently moved into the shower cubicle and closed the door behind himself. Sam left him and hurried back to change the bed, before rejoining Callen in the shower.

Sam kept the shower non-sexual, although without the extreme arousal caused by Heat or Rut, they both needed more recovery time anyway. Callen moved as he directed, passively letting Sam wash him and then waited quietly while Sam quickly got himself clean as well.

“You good?” Sam asked, as he guided Callen out of the cubicle and wrapped him in a towel.

Callen looked up startled, then gave him a tired smile. “Missing Drew,” he admitted quietly.

“We can call Michelle,” Sam offered.

That brightened Callen up, so Sam got him settled on the bed, still wrapped in the towel and picked up his cell phone to make the call. He spoke briefly to Michelle before handing the phone over to Callen, then went back to the bathroom to tidy up. 

When he came back, Callen had dropped the towel and was lying face down on the bed again, making Sam draw in a breath at the sight. His ass was still red and swollen and Sam reached for the aloe.

“Better?” he asked, as he carefully climbed on the bed to straddle his Mate.

Callen’s smile looked better and he nodded. “Yeah,” he agreed. “Thanks Sam.”

Sam leaned down to kiss him. “Of course,” he said. “Now let me put this gel on you and we can have a nap.”

“Sounds good,” Callen agreed.

*

When Sam woke in the middle of the night, the other side of the bed was empty. He frowned, the bathroom was in darkness, so Callen wasn’t there. Sam decided to check the nursery first, which was where he found his Mate, sitting in the rocking chair in the dark.

“G?” he said softly.

Callen looked up. “Hey Sam,” he said.

“You okay?” Sam asked, walking over to him.

Callen gave a wan smile and held up the breast pump. “Needed to express,” he explained.

“Oh,” Sam nodded in understanding. He hadn’t really thought about that before. “How’s the ass?”

Callen smiled again. “Sore, but manageable,” he said.

“How about you come back to bed and I put some more of that aloe on it?” Sam suggested, holding out a hand.

That earned him a smirk. “You just want to get your hands on me again.”

Sam rolled his eyes. “Always,” he agreed.

Callen took the hand Sam still held out and allowed himself to be pulled to his feet, handing over the pump when Sam reached for it. “You need this again?”

“Not for a while,” Callen said with a quick shake of the head.

Sam set it on the dresser and led his Mate back to their bedroom. “We can get Michelle to come home in the morning if you need,” he offered.

“You don’t mind?” Callen asked anxiously.

Sam pulled him into a kiss. “I miss him too,” he said when he let his Mate go.

“Okay,” Callen agreed and let Sam guide him to bed and put more aloe gel on his ass, before snuggling up next to Sam and going back to sleep. Sam was happy to do the same.

*

In the morning, Sam had decided that they would go to his parents to collect Drew, instead of waiting for Michelle to bring him home after the school run. They hadn’t seen the Colonel and his Mate much since Drew had been born, so Sam suggested a diner for breakfast and they all met there.

Callen barely said good morning to anyone, making ‘gimme’ motions to Sam’s mom, who held Drew. She smiled in understanding, handing him straight over and watched Callen immediately settle the pup to his chest to feed. 

Sam looked on in fond indulgence as his Mate sighed in relief as Drew latched on and started sucking. He sat next to Callen, at the end of the table, with his parents the other side of Callen and Michelle opposite with the girls next to her.

Michelle got the girls started on a discussion on what they could have for breakfast, while Sam answered a few questions from his parents and Callen ignored them all in favor of reconnecting with Drew. 

Sam ordered for both of them, knowing what his Mate liked to eat. He intervened with the girls as well, who were begging for pancakes. “Not before school,” he said. “Too much sugar.”

They pouted, but knew better than to argue with their father, ordering fruit, granola and yogurt instead. Michelle threw him a grateful look and then ordered the same for herself, to reinforce the lesson.

The meal passed off pleasantly, with all of them chatting, including Callen who had Drew asleep in his arms.

*

Once breakfast was done, Michelle herded the girls to the rest room with Carol Hanna, while Callen went to the changing room with Drew. Sam went to the register with his dad to settle the bill. He was surprised when Michelle reappeared a couple of minutes later.

“Is everything okay?” he asked, looking in the direction of the rest rooms.

She smiled. “Carol is with the girls, they’re fine,” she said. “I wanted to give you this while G was otherwise occupied.” She passed him an official looking envelope from her purse.

“What’s this?” Sam asked with a frown.

“The annulment papers,” she explained. “Your anniversary is in a couple of days and I know you have something planned. I wanted you to be sure that you could legally do whatever it was you wanted.”

Sam was surprised, not having expected Michelle to be so generous. “Thank you,” he said, hugging her. “You’ve been way more accommodating about this than I had any right to expect.”

She gave him a small smile. “I don’t mind Sam, I always knew this might happen and honestly, if you were going to Mate with anyone, I’m glad that it’s Callen.”

It was the same thing she’d told him before, when the Mating first happened, but hearing it again still gave Sam mixed feelings.

“Well thank you,” he said and hugged her again.

She gave him a quick kiss to the cheek. “Of course Sam,” she murmured. 

The voices of the girls and their grandmother were getting closer, with Callen’s deeper voice mixed in so they parted and Sam tucked the envelope into his jacket pocket. 

“All set?” Sam asked, looking in their direction. He got several nods of agreement, so turned for the door, everyone else following along.

*

A couple of days later, Callen was in the nursery with Drew in the middle of the night, after a feeding. He was dozing lightly, Drew a warm comforting weight in his arms. Something startled him to wakefulness, and he blinked, looking around the room, wondering what had disturbed him.

After a few minutes, he relaxed again, not hearing whatever had woken him. He was still adjusting to the noises of the new house and guessed that was the source of the noise. As he continued to sit there, he felt a prickling through his body and suddenly felt hyper-aware of his blood pumping through his veins.

Standing carefully, he settled Drew into his crib, realizing immediately that it was the start of his Heat. He flicked the switch on the baby monitor, before quietly leaving the nursery and heading back to his and Sam’s bedroom.

Sam was still asleep, having gotten accustomed to Callen disappearing in the night to feed Drew. Callen picked up his cell phone from the nightstand, sending a quick text to Michelle to make her aware of the situation. She had agreed that whenever their Heats or Ruts came, she would look after Drew for them. 

As Callen put the phone back on the nightstand, Sam’s hand came out to grip his wrist and then tugged him forward hard. Callen squeaked as he was pulled off balance and onto the bed.

“You’re in Heat,” Sam said in a rough voice.

Callen nodded agreement. Sam growled and dragged him across his body, making Callen moan. His Mate’s displays of strength were always a major turn on and he felt his blood pounding once more, while his cock throbbed and the scent of slick and pheromones filled the air.

Sam plundered his mouth in a hard kiss, hands roving across Callen’s body, shoving up under his shirt to caress his back, then sliding down to push down his sleep pants and caress his ass. Callen whined, spreading his legs and pushing into Sam’s hands. The after-effects of Sam’s spanking a few days ago had mostly healed up, so he wasn’t surprised to get a hard slap to one cheek.

Sam eventually broke the kiss to manhandle him onto all fours, pushing his legs wide and sliding fingers into his slick hole. Callen whined again and pushed back into the touch. Sam smacked him again, then withdraw, making Callen moan in loss.

“Sh,” Sam said, reaching to the nightstand and opening the drawer.

Callen watched him in the dim light of the bedroom, understanding immediately when Sam brought out a gag from the drawer. Although the house was big enough that any noise shouldn’t disturb Michelle and the girls, Drew’s nursery was just a few feet down the hallway and they didn’t want him woken by his father screaming in the night.

Callen lifted his head and Sam buckled the gag into place, kissing the side of his mouth when he was done. His mouth then moved down the side of Callen’s neck, biting and nipping at the skin, before licking over his Bonding gland briefly.

Callen couldn’t help whining in disappointment again when Sam moved away once more, even though he knew that it was only so that his Mate could get into position to fuck him. Sam smacked him a couple of times in the same spot as before, then shifted and Callen relaxed as he felt his Mate’s huge cock at his hole, slowly starting to press inside.

He moaned in pleasure as he was penetrated, the slick making it an easy slide for Sam, until he was bottoming out. Sam didn’t pause, immediately starting to thrust as Callen continued to make noise into the gag, pushing back into the fucking as he waited for his Mate’s knot to fill him.

Sam thrust faster and harder, until his knot was pushing into Callen and Sam’s mouth was on his neck, biting into the Bonding gland as he did so. Callen howled into the gag, face buried in the pillow to further muffle the noise, as he felt pleasure sweep through his body and his arms gave way beneath their combined weight.

As they lay there, slowly recovering, Sam reached up and unbuckled the gag, tossing it aside. He rolled them onto their sides, so that Callen could breathe more easily as they waited out Sam’s knot. Callen worked his jaw a couple of times and Sam gently rubbed it for him, before pressing kisses to his mouth.

Callen hummed in haapiness as he felt his body still sing with pleasure. He clenched on Sam’s cock, where it was still buried in him, Heat still burning through his blood. Sam growled, biting a little at Callen’s neck again, which was enough to make Callen whine with need. 

Sam’s hands moved confidently across his body, teasing and arousing in equal measure, while he started to thrust into Callen once more, starting a second round before they’d come down from the first knotting. Callen whined, clenching on Sam’s cock again and pushing back into his Alpha’s body as their pleasure rose once more. 

Sam’s mouth moved on his Bonding gland again, teasing at the sensitive flesh as Callen whined and begged. Sam pushed him on to his front again and starting driving into him in earnest, until his knot was filling Callen’s ass once more and he bit down hard.

Callen cried out, barely muffling the sound in the pillow as pleasure wiped out his mind, everything going white as he trembled and shook with the force of his coming. Sam held him tightly, keeping him in position as his cock continued to fill Callen, knot lodged deep inside him.

*

A few hours later, they dragged clothes on and wandered downstairs for food. Michelle had left snacks and energy drinks outside the bedroom for them, but they needed something more substantial. Callen collected the breast pump from the nursery, needing to relieve the pressure of his engorged breasts in Drew’s absence. Michelle had left a note with the food to say that she was taking the kids to the zoo.

“The zoo?” Callen asked as he pulled on one of Sam’s T-shirts. He liked wearing them when his belly was too swollen with come to wear his own.

“It’s the weekend G,” Sam told him patiently.

Callen gave him a bemused look. “It is?”

Sam shook his head fondly, pulling him in for a kiss. Callen moaned happily, plastering his body to his Alpha’s. 

After a while, Sam broke the kiss, making Callen whine. “Food G,” he said firmly.

Callen nodded reluctantly and they headed for the kitchen. Sam moved around confidently, getting out ingredients to cook, while Callen set up the coffee maker. 

They sat cater-corner to each other as they ate, Sam wrapping his leg around Callen’s calf under the table. They had barely finished when Sam was tugging Callen forward into his lap with a growl. The Omega’s pheromones filled the air and he whined as he rocked against the hard length of Sam’s cock.

Sam slid an arm around him and reached down to press on the plug he’d inserted earlier, while taking his mouth in a hard kiss again. Callen grabbed onto Sam’s shoulders, fingers digging in as he opened to his Alpha’s tongue. 

With no one else in the house, Sam decided to just take his Mate on the kitchen table. They could clean up later. He stripped Callen’s T-shirt and sweatpants off, dropping them to the floor, before settling him on his back, legs spread. Callen was whining, slick coating his thighs, pulling his legs up and back, spreading wider for Sam.

Sam pushed his own sweatpants down, kicking off one leg and moved into position. He quickly pulled out the plug, making Callen moan, replacing it with his cock in one hard push. Callen arched up off the table, wrapping his legs around Sam’s waist. 

The fucking was fast and hard, Sam slamming into Callen’s ass until his knot was filling his Mate and he bit down hard on the Bonding gland, to hear Callen scream and feel him go limp under him, while his cock spurted untouched, coating his swollen belly.

Sam groaned, back protesting the position and he gathered his Mate in his arms, lifting him with a grunt and staggering back into the chair just behind him. Callen managed to get his arms around Sam, clinging on as they continued to breathe hard. 

*

After they’d recovered and cleaned up, Sam guided his Mate into the lounge and onto the couch, the two of them curling up together. He put some music on the stereo system, not jazz because he wanted Callen in a good mood for the conversation he was about to start.

“Let’s talk G,” he said.

Callen rolled his eyes. “The words no one ever wants to hear,” he said with a smirk.

Sam shook his head at that. “Do you mind?”

“Sorry,” Callen said, although he didn’t look particularly apologetic. He gestured to Sam to go on.

“It’s our anniversary,” Sam told him, “And I wanted to talk about how we mark our relationship permanently.”

Callen drew in a breath, surprised by that. “What about your marriage?”

“We’ve annulled it,” Sam said. “Michelle gave me the papers a couple of days ago.”

Callen bit his lip, clearly thinking about what Sam had told him. “You don’t want to get married again?”

“I didn’t think that was something you wanted,” Sam replied.

“Can I think about it?” Callen asked.

Sam leaned in and kissed him. “Of course G,” he said. “There’s no rush, but I want us to mark our relationship in some way. We both know it’s permanent, but I want other people to see that too.”

“What about work?” Callen asked. “I know a lot of Mates get tattoos but that could make things difficult going undercover.”

“Well, I’ve already got all these tattoos I have to keep covered, so it’s not a problem for me. One more won’t make a difference, especially as an Alpha,” Sam told him. “It’s different for you, of course, if you do decide you want to go back to work.” 

Callen nodded in understanding. “Okay,” he agreed. “I’d like something, but I need to think about what.”

Sam smiled. “Thank you G,” he said and they moved close, mouths meeting in a kiss that quickly got deeper as Callen’s Heat flared once more, pheromones saturating the air around them.

*

After discussing the various possibilities with Hetty, Callen decided he wanted them to get tattoos. 

“I know you say I’m not a tat guy,” Callen told Sam, referring back to the conversation they’d had a couple of years ago, “But I like that idea best.”

Sam rolled his eyes a little. “You know that was just a joke right?” he said to Callen.

Callen smirked. “If you say so Big Guy. Anyway, I think the infinity symbol would be perfect.”

“Why?” Sam asked, obviously curious as to his reasoning.

“It’s something that can be any size and we can put it somewhere discreet,” Callen said.

Sam waited, knowing there was more. After a moment, Callen continued. “It means forever,” he said shortly, clearly expecting Sam to mock him.

Sam tugged him forward into a kiss. “I’m not going to tease you,” he said when he let his Mate go again. “I think it’s a perfect idea. Where do you want us to have them?”

“Thank you,” Callen said. “I was thinking on the hip,” he touched the spot as he said it. “It’s discreet and not likely to be seen in most of the ops we do.”

Sam nodded understanding. “Sounds good. I know just the person who can do them for us.”

Callen raised his eyebrows. “Someone I knew when I was still a SEAL,” Sam explained. “She has a shop that specializes in tattoos for Bonded couples.”

“Okay,” Callen agreed.

“I’ll make the appointment then,” Sam said. “She’s based in Venice.”

“Misha’s in Venice?” Callen asked.

Sam was surprised. “You know Misha’s?”

“Yeah,” Callen admitted with a bite of the lip that suggested there was a story there.

Sam raised his eyebrows. “I’m curious as to how you know an Alpha tattoo artist and former Naval lieutenant,” he said.

Callen’s shrug was anything but casual. “You know her family is Russian?” he asked. Off Sam’s nod, he continued. “When I was staying with the Rostoffs, her family lived down the street. Misha was Alina’s babysitter a few times when I was there. It was before either of us presented.”

“Okay,” Sam said encouragingly.

“You know what happened after that,” Callen continued, referring to how he’d ended up staying with Hetty as a teenager.”I didn’t expect to see her again, then I was working Russian with Gibbs and we came across each other a couple of times and she was involved in one of my missions.”

“It’s classified I guess?” he asked when Callen paused.

“Yeah,” Callen agreed. “Anyway, we stayed in touch when we both came back to Los Angeles after that and Misha left the Navy and started her business.”

Callen stopped again. “Were you involved?” Sam asked.

Callen raised his eyebrows. “Why do you say that?”

“The way you talk about her,” Sam said.

Callen sighed. “Yeah,” he admitted. “We were involved for a little while, but it didn’t work out. I’m sure you can guess why.”

“Because you were hiding the truth about you being an Omega?” he guessed.

Callen nodded agreement. “She knew I wasn’t being completely open with her about something, so we argued. We split in the end, but we’re still on friendly terms.”

“So it won’t be a problem going there then?” Sam asked.

Callen shrugged. “Shouldn’t be, but she might not be happy when she finds out the truth. I doubt she’d make a scene though.”

Sam agreed. “She’s too classy for that.”

“It might be an idea to give her a heads up when you call her for an appointment though,” Callen suggested.

“Yeah,” Sam said. “I’ll do that.”

*

They took Drew with them to the appointment at Misha’s, Callen was keen for her to meet him and hoped it would help her understand and forgive his deception.

They arrived at the tattoo parlor in plenty of time for their appointment, with Callen pushing Drew in his stroller, followed by Sam.

“Welcome to Misha’s, do you have an appointment?” The young blonde who greeted them was very perky. She reminded Callen of the receptionist at the Omega health centre he’d attended with Kensi when he was undercover and he shivered slightly.

“G?” Sam’s hand on his shoulder was a reassuring weight.

Callen turned his head, not surprised his Mate had noticed. “I’m fine Big Guy,” he said lightly. “Just déjà vu.”

“Okay,” Sam said and Callen was glad he let it go.

He turned back to the woman was waiting patiently. “Sam and Callen, we have an appointment with Misha at 11.00,” he told her.

“Of course, please take a seat, she’ll be here in a moment,” she said, gesturing to some plush armchairs off to one side.

Sam thanked her and kept a hand on Callen as they went over and settled down. Callen fussed over Drew, but the pup was sound asleep still.

“G Force!” the loud cry got his attention and he looked up as a familiar figure swept into the room.

Callen stood quickly. “Mischief!” he said to her, unable to stop the huge grin on his face.

They hugged in the middle of the room, until Misha spotted Sam over Callen’s shoulder. “Samuel!” she called, beckoning to him and Callen moved aside so that his Mate could hug her as well.

When she finally stepped back, she looked between them. “The two of you? Really?”

Callen nodded, biting his lip as he waited for her reaction. “This is what you never told me,” Misha said and he nodded again.

“I’m sorry Mish, I didn’t tell anyone,” he said.

She raised her eyebrows, clearly skeptical and he nodded. “Alright,” she finally relented. “Let’s go into my studio and you can tell me all about it.”

“Okay,” Callen agreed and he turned to Drew’s stroller. “You can meet our son as well.”

“Wait, you have a pup?” Misha exclaimed in surprise. “Now I really need to hear this story.”

They followed her into a large, bright room where all her equipment was set up. While Misha fetched all the necessary paperwork, Callen got settled in another comfortable armchair, having already agreed Sam would go first.

Callen was understandably nervous about having something involving needles near his skin, so wanted to be able to see it in action before he experienced it himself. Sam signed all the forms, then pushed down his jeans and settled on the table, before pulling down his boxers enough to reveal the skin that was to be marked.

“Alright G, you talk, I’ll tattoo,” Misha ordered, once she was seated beside Sam.

Callen had moved to sit beside her, so that he could see what was happening, but not be in the way.

“What do you want to know?” he asked.

She flicked him a quick glance before she started. “How you two met and how you ended up together, of course!”

“Well, we work together now,” Callen said. “I can’t really tell you about it because it’s classified, but there was a mission, and,” he trailed off.

Sam smoothly took up the story. “And he got himself captured,” he said drily.

Misha laughed. “He’s good at that,” she said. “That was how I met him.”

Callen made a sound of protest, but didn’t argue. “So let me guess, Sam rode to the rescue and somehow you ended up Mating?”

“More or less,” Callen agreed.

“That’s sweet.”

Callen made a rude noise at Misha’s comment. “We are not sweet,” he said emphatically.

“No we’re not,” Sam agreed, a growl in his voice.

Misha laughed at both of them. “Whatever boys. I’m done.”

Callen leaned forward. “That was fast.”

“Well, it’s a small design,” she said. And it was, only a few inches across. She efficiently dealt with the after-care and then Sam was getting to his feet and accepting a sports drink.

Drew chose that moment to wake up and start crying, so Callen went to deal with him. It distracted him from what was happening and when he turned back, he was surprised to find Nell waiting with Misha.

“Is something wrong?” he asked. “Is there a case?”

Sam smiled. “Nothing like that,” he said. “Nell’s here to take Drew for us.”

Callen frowned, puzzled. “Why?”

Sam came over and took his hands. “Did you really think I was going to let another Alpha mark your skin permanently?” he asked.

“It’s her job,” Callen pointed out. “And I know you trust her.”

“Doesn’t matter,” Sam told him. “Nell is going to take Drew home and I’m doing your ink.”

“You’re not trained,” Callen protested.

Sam sighed. “That’s where you’re wrong,” he said. “I wouldn’t do this if I didn’t know how. I wouldn’t risk you like that.”

Callen shook his head, still confused. “I don’t understand,” he said, hating how plaintive he sounded.

Sam pulled him into a kiss and Callen melted into his Mate despite himself. “This is us showing our commitment to each other sweetheart, so I’m going to put our mark on you. Okay?”

Callen nodded dumbly. “Okay.”

“Good, now let’s get you settled.”

Misha came over with Nell, who smiled at them both as she took hold of Drew’s stroller. “Have fun guys and we’ll see you later,” she told them.

“You good Sam?” Misha asked, as Nell left.

He smiled at her. “I’m fine,” he promised. “Thanks for letting me do this.”

“No problem,” she smiled back. “The room is soundproof and you have as long as you need, no one will disturb you. Just make sure you clean up when you’re done.”

“Yes ma’am!” Sam told her with a laugh. She laughed as well, before heading out the door. Sam followed her and Callen heard the snick of the door locking. 

Then Sam was prowling back across the room to him and Callen swallowed hard at the sight. “Strip!” Sam growled, reaching out to pull at Callen’s shirt as he did so.

Callen wore a button down shirt because it made for easier access when feeding Drew, but it was loose enough that he could pull it over his head, with his Mate’s assistance, Sam crowded up close to his body.

As soon as Callen had tossed it aside, Sam was pressing his tongue into Callen’s mouth, taking it in a hard kiss, that was all power and no finesse. Callen moaned and reached out to grip Sam’s shoulders tightly, shuddering with arousal.

Sam kept up the kiss, reaching between them to cup Callen’s cock through his pants, while gripping his ass tightly with his other hand. His hard cock was pressed against Callen’s hip and Callen shifted slightly, liking the feel of it and wanting it inside him.

When Sam pulled back, his eyes were black with arousal and he was growling again as he pushed Callen backwards, undoing his pants at the same time. Callen felt the table behind him as Sam pushed his pants down, then crouched in front of him to take off Callen’s shoes and socks, before pulling his pants off as well. Callen looked down at him, stroking Sam’s scalp as his Mate shifted onto his knees.

Sam looked up at him and gave him a wolfish grin, before reaching out and guiding Callen’s underwear down over his cock, which was standing to attention. Callen moaned, shifting slightly as the scent of slick rose in the air between them.

“Please,” he begged.

Sam growled and leaned forward to take Callen’s cock in his mouth, while his fingers easily slid into Callen’s hole. Callen whined at that, spreading his legs and thrusting forward. Sam used his free hand to pin Callen against the table, while using his mouth and fingers to quickly bring him to the edge.

Callen was moaning, fingers pressed into the table behind him as Sam worked him over expertly. Sam pulled off long enough to look at him, making Callen whine in loss.

“Give it up for me G,” Sam growled. Then he swallowed Callen’s cock again, pressing on his prostate at the same time.

Callen screamed and everything short-circuited, brain whiting out as he went limp with the force of his orgasm. He was barely aware of Sam lifting him onto the table behind him, then standing over him and striping his own cock fast and hard, until his come was splashing onto Callen, making him whine as his Mate marked him.

He was still half out of it when Sam guided him onto his side but the buzz of the tattoo gun coming to life jolted him back to greater awareness and he felt himself tense up.

“Sh,” Sam said soothingly, rubbing his belly, meaning he was rubbing his come into Callen’s skin as he did so.

Callen whined and trembled, nervous but wanting to be good for Sam. Rather than Sam preparing his skin for the tattoo like he’d expected, Callen felt something nudging against his hole. He breathed out and something hard and plastic slid into him, gliding easily on his slick. Sam teased him for a while, working the toy in and out of him, rubbing against his prostate and Callen moaned, cock throbbing with renewed arousal.

Finally, Sam pushed the toy all the way in and twisted it one final time, leaving it pressed against the sensitive spot inside him. Callen moaned again, half-hard but more relaxed again. He kept still, as Sam’s hands moved over his body.

This time, Sam was cleaning his hip, but Callen managed to stay relaxed, clenching on the toy inside him and concentrating on that, rather than thinking about what Sam was about to do to him.

Sam kept a hand on him the whole time, murmuring soothingly as he got to work. Callen continued to breathe deeply, trying not to think about the needle marking his skin, but instead what it meant to have Sam doing this, putting their symbol on him.

Fortunately, the process was smooth and fast, it seemed Sam really did know what he was doing. Callen had no idea when his Mate had learned how to tattoo someone, but he was happy that it was him and not Misha marking him.

The needle finally stopped buzzing, the silence seeming loud to Callen afterwards. He lay there quiescent as Sam applied ointment and then covered the tattoo. It was sore but not as bad as Callen had expected. He gratefully accepted the Tylenol and sports drink that Sam handed to him when he was done, though.

Sam took the bottle from him when he’d finished and guided him into a kiss, soft but no less possessive for that. 

“Good boy,” he murmured when he finally let Callen go again.

Callen sighed and leaned into Sam, happy to let his Mate’s strength support him. After a few more minutes, Sam coaxed him to his feet, where he stood swaying, letting the table hold him up. Sam smiled down at him.

“You okay?” he asked, sounding amused.

Callen nodded, still feeling dopey. “Let’s get you dressed then and we can get out of here,” Sam instructed.

Callen nodded once more, letting Sam guide him back into his clothes, then accepting a bottle of water from him as his Mate knelt to put his shoes on for him. Once Sam stood in front of him again, Callen felt a little bit more aware.

“You sit there a second while I finish cleaning up,” Sam instructed, guiding him into the armchair.

Callen obediently sat down and drank the rest of his water, watching Sam tidying up. He clenched on the plug Sam hadn’t removed, liking the full feeling. Finally Sam was done and came back to him.

“How you feeling now?” he asked, studying Callen closely.

Callen smiled up at him. “I’m good Big Guy,” he said and held out a hand. Sam took hold and pulled him to his feet and into his Mate’s body for a brief embrace.

“Let’s go home,” Sam said. “I want to take you properly in our bed.”

Callen moaned at that, feeling his cock twitch as he clenched on the plug again, eager to feel his Mate’s knot inside him instead. He took Sam’s hand and let his Mate lead him from the room. They stopped to speak briefly with Misha before leaving. She refrained from touching him, just smiling at him as they agreed to all meet for dinner soon.

“You did good G,” Sam told him as he led them to their car. “And now I’ve marked you as mine.” His voice was deep and satisfied as he said it.

Callen shivered, licking his lips as he looked sideways at his Mate. His hip throbbed but it felt good knowing that Sam was the one who was responsible for the mark he now wore.

*

They’d barely gotten inside the front door when Sam was pushing Callen up against the wall with a growl, taking his mouth in a possessive kiss. Callen opened to him easily, recognizing that Sam needed to claim him now. Fortunately, the house was empty, with Michelle in Virginia and the girls at her mother’s for a few days.

Callen knew that Sam was overdue for his Rut as well and wondered if his Alpha had somehow managed to hold it back until the tattooing today, even though he wasn’t taking Suppressants. Sam growled again, moving from Callen’s mouth to worry at his Bonding gland, without actually biting down on it. Callen whined, ass clenching on the toy he still had inside him. Slick was oozing from him, coating his thighs and his cock ached with need as well.

Sam pulled Callen’s shirt up and over his head, throwing it aside, then lowered his head to lick and suck at his chest. Callen moaned at the attention on his sensitive nipples, breasts full and aching with the pressure of unexpressed milk. 

“Come on,” Sam ordered, suddenly pulling back and grabbing Callen’s hand.

“Huh?” Callen was confused by his Mate’s withdrawal.

Sam tugged on his hand. “I want to knot you in our bed,” he said.

Callen nodded jerkily and followed along behind as Sam led him upstairs. 

*

A few hours later, they were entwined on the bed, Sam’s cock still embedded in Callen. He had one hand resting on his Mate’s swollen belly, while the other gripped the top of a thigh, just below where Callen’s tattoo was located. His mouth teased at the Bonding gland on his Mate’s neck. Callen was limp with pleasure, curled into Sam’s body.

“You’re mine now Omega,” Sam said in a satisfied tone.

“Yours Alpha,” Callen agreed.

Their heads tilted together and they exchanged a long kiss, sealing the declaration.

“Forever,” Callen said when Sam let him go.

“Forever,” Sam echoed and they smiled at each other, feeling the rightness of their Bond as they settled into sleep. 

The relationship wasn’t something either of them had expected and it hadn’t been smooth sailing, but they knew that they were right for each other and the addition of Drew to their family made it perfect.

**Author's Note:**

> The title comes from the subspecies of Canis lupus that I think Callen and Sam would belong to.


End file.
